Social conflict, hypergobernability and citizen’s participation. An analysis of the “pinguin revolution”

Abstract

The following article is a statement about the way the chilean government reacted to the conflict rised by high school students practically along the whole of the first year of Bachelet’s administration.  Aside from trying to outline the causes which would be behind the erratic answer given by the authorities, the study intends to understand the position held by some of the sectors in government along with the political society in regards to the uprise of the social conflict.  Based on the aforedmention statement, we think it is pertinent to build a new concept taking into account the chilean and latinamerican experience. This concept is refered to what we call “hipergovernability”, in other words, an excessive attachment to maintain governability by means of “anticipated solutions” of social demands. The current analysis of the various student movements, backs up a thesis of fear -almost panic- in regards social conflict, thus allowing the understanding the disproportionate concern of the State with peace and social cohesion.