Policy Translation of Social Movements Demands: The Case of Free-Tuition in Higher Education in Chile

Abstract

In 2011, Chile experienced massive student protests against the marketization of education. During 2013, center-left President Michelle Bachelet proposed tuition-free higher education for Chile’s families in the bottom 70th percentile of the income distribution, fueling controversy due to the uncertainty and unexpected consequences of the policy. This study analyzes how the tuitionfree policy was developed, the actors involved, the political discourse deployed during implementation, and the strategy used to make this policy a reality. Using semi-structured interviews with key actors, such as policymakers and scholars, and a review of newspaper columns, we explore how politicians and bureaucrats translated the students’ demands into the tuition-free policy. Our findings suggest that the policy translation process included the involvement of former student leaders, prioritization of the tuition-free policy, and a quick, straightforward implementation process that enabled the government to fulfill its promise.