Incorporation of the Gratuity Law into the Higher Education System in Chile: the extension of the demand subsidy and the privatization of public financing

Abstract

Making use of official information, this article analyzes the changes that the new law of Free Access to Higher Education in Chile introduced to public financing, institutional recruitment and coverage rates. Among the results, what stands out is the significant injection of public resources despite the low level of coverage achieved, a strong tendency towards privatization and low institutional adhesion. With its implementation and graduality, this law accentuates the logic of the voucher, of restricted and focused access, while the institutions, in a cost-benefit analysis, evaluate the attraction of resources and the reduction of autonomy through fiscal regulation.