Английский язык. Любинская Н.А - 23 стр.

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trigger success, foster new approaches, roll back poverty, adapt to one’s circum-
stances, meet the goals, lessons can be extracted from, encouraging prospects, learn
from mistakes, possibilities abound, within the reach, to promote knowledge ex-
change, to tackle illiteracy

                                       TEST II

    CHILE: SUCCESSES AND FAILURES IN POVERTY ERADICATION

Lead-in

I. We all know that certain countries achieved significant success in their struggle
against poverty. Here is an example. By combination of economic and social policies
Chile reduced by nearly one half the extreme income disparities. What were strong
and weak aspects of Chilean program?

II. Read the text and say whether the following statements are true or false:

1. The social policies of all three Chilean governments during the 90s were aimed at
   economic growth.
2. Pinochet decision to reduce taxes positively affected social policies.
3. During the last decade of the century poverty in Chile was reduced by 20%.
4. Extreme income disparities were eradicated.
5. Chile’s success in overcoming poverty can be mainly explained by economic
   growth.

                                        TEXT

       Poverty eradication was at the core of development strategies in Chile during
the Aylwin, Frei, and Lagos administrations of the 1990s. The social policies of all
three government were formed by a particularly difficult beginning. The Chilean
economy went through a deep financial crisis in 1982, similar in severity to Argen-
tina’s crisis of 2001. In 1982 and 1983, Chile’s GDP fell by 16 percent. The collapse
of the financial sector cost Chilean taxpayers between 30 and 40 percent of GDP.
Unemployment shot up to 30 percent. Around 50 percent of the population fell below
the poverty line. Extreme poverty affected 30 percent of the population.
       Starting in 1985, the focus of economic policies shifted toward financial sol-
vency and economic growth. Exports grew rapidly and unemployment went down.
On the poverty front, however, results were less successful. People living below the
poverty line still represented 45 percent of the population in 1987. Additionally, a key
decision by the Pinochet government to reduce taxes and government expenditures in
1988 had a further negative impact in social policies. The decrease in social expendi-
tures was equivalent to 3 percent of GDP, resulting in severe deterioration in the cov-
erage and quality of public health services, lower wages for teachers, and low pen-
sions for the elderly.