Social-geographical effects of the commodities’ super cycle and of its end in Chile

Abstract

Commodities’ economic cycles affect emerging economies and have different impacts on their diverse subnational territories and social sectors, as some are more vulnerable than others. In this article, we investigate the social-geographical effects of the commodities’ super cycle and of its end in Chile. In addition, we evaluate poverty reduction at regional and district levels when the price of copper was high, and the subnational increase in unemployment when the prices decreased. A greater geographical concentration of poverty was found, which reveals a geographical and temporal inertia. Conversely, the relatively greater dispersion and fluctuation of unemployment rates evidence this variable’s volatility. The challenge of equity arises in prosperity periods and becomes urgent during crises.