The lives of poor Chileans, especially children, improved dramatically after 1990 as poverty, maternal and child mortality rates fell, and school enrolment and child nutrition levels increased. These gains were all the more impressive given the legacy of extreme poverty, inequality and social dislocation inherited from Pinochet’s 15-year military dictatorship.

The restoration of political and civil rights also allowed civil society to flourish, and this burgeoning sector played an important role in helping implement the government’s social agenda. This Research Summary examines how three centre-left democratic governments, supported by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), made such enormous strides, from 1990 to 2005.