Popular Economy in Santiago de Chile: State of Affairs and Challenges

Do informal initiatives share a capitalist spirit of entrepreneurship? This article attempts to answer this question, using a “popular economy” analytical framework and focusing on the case of Chile. First, we present the context of the research, namely the economic and political evolutions in Chile since the 1970s and their effects on the popular economy. Then, we seek to answer the original question, relying on in-depth case studies of so-called “popular economy organizations”. Our research shows that their socio-economic logics significantly differ from those of the traditional capitalist firm. Our observations also suggest important differences between current and older initiatives.