El niño-southern oscillation of 1997-1998: economic, social, and political implications in Chile

Abstract

We analyze the economic, political, and social aspects of the El Niño/La Niña phenomenon of 1997-1998 in Chile, based on a review of specialized literature, press articles, official documentation, and minutes of sessions from the National Congress. This global meteorological phenomenon coincided with the so-called "Asian crisis," which had profound and varied international repercussions. In the case of Chile, the heavy rainfall in 1997 and the unusual drought in 1998 exposed the weaknesses of the subsidiary sociopolitical model and eroded the trust and hopes of the Chilean people, to the extent that the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia coalition came close to losing power in the 1999 presidential elections.