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José
Piñera,
through his own International
Center for Pension Reform, is fully dedicated to promote
free market policies around the world and to share his
paradigm of complete Social Security privatization. He is also a Distinguished
Senior Fellow of the Cato Institute, Co-Chairman
of its Project on Social Security Choice, Board member of
both its Trade and
Global Prosperity Centers, Senior Fellow of the Milan-based Istituto Bruno Leoni,
and member of
the Board of Advisors of the Vienna-based Educational
Initiative for Central and Eastern Europe. Therefore he
lives in airplanes, although he keeps a secluded refuge in the
Pacific Ocean town of Cachagua, Chile.
As
Chile's Secretary of Labor
and Social Security (1978-1980), José Piñera was responsible for the
Social Security Act of 1980, that created a fully funded pension
system based on personal retirement accounts and allowed workers
to choose a private health option. He was also the creator of the
new Labor Code of
1979, that re-introduced trade union democracy and
decentralized collective bargaining. As Chile`s Secretary of Mining (1980-1981), he was responsible for the Constitutional
Law
of 1981 that established property rights in this key sector of the
Chilean economy.
José Piñera was one of the architects and signatories of the 1980
Constitution of Chile
that established the necessary institutions of liberty (Constitutional Court, independent Central Bank, freedom
to establish private universities and private TV stations, etc)
and created a full democracy in Chile.
Dr. Piñera was
invited by former President Clinton to address the "White
House Social Security Summit" (Washington, December 1998)
and by George W. Bush, when Governor of Texas, to explain him the Chilean
experience and its relevance to the USA (Austin, September
1997). He
has also been invited to testify in the UK House of Commons (by
its Chairman Frank Field, Labor MP), in the US Senate Banking
Committe (by its Chairman Phil Gramm, Republican Senator) and in
the US House of Representatives Budget Committe (by its Chairman
John Kasich, Republican Representative).
He has been invited to explain the Chilean Reforms by many world
leaders, among them Presidents Walesa, Putin, Constantinescu,
Uribe, Fox, Garcia, Fujimori, Menem, Duran, Fernandez, and
Calderon Sol, and Prime Ministers Thatcher and Prodi.
In
2009 he received the "Adam Smith Award", the highest
award given by the Association of Private Enterprise Education,
based in Atlanta. In 2007, he received the "Golden Umbrella Award for Best
Contribution to Free Market Thinking" from the Stockholm
Network in London. In 2005, he received the "Freedom
Award" from the Liberalni Institute in Prague.
In 2003, he received the "Champion of Liberty Award" from
the Goldwater Institute (among its previous recipients were
Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Milton Friedman). In 2000,
he was elected to be introduced to the "Hall of Fame Award"
of the International Insurance Society.
In
1999 he was given the "John S. Bickley Gold Medal" from
the International Insurance Society. In 1998 he received the
"Liberty Award for Opportunity" from Americans for
Hope, Growth and Opportunity (in the same ceremony, the
"Liberty Award for Growth" was given to Milton and
Rose Friedman).
He is the author of
nine books
and numerous essays. Among those essay are: "Will the
Pension Time Bomb sink the Euro?" (Cato Journal, Fall 2004),
"Liberating Workers: The World Pension Revolution"
(Cato Letter No 15, 2002), "Toward a World of
Worker-Capitalists" (Boston Conversazioni, April 2001) and
"A Chilean Model for Russia" (Foreign Affairs,
September-October 2000.)
Dr.
Piñera has published articles in many newspapers and has been interviewed by, among others,
Niall Ferguson for his PBS documentary "The Ascent of
Money" (2009), John Stossel
for ABC 20/20, Chuck Scarborough for NBC, and Ben Wattenberg for
PBS. A comprehensive interview was broadcasted by the Swedish TV programme Global
Axess ("The Man Who Fought for Prosperity and Democracy
in Chile, José Piñera interviewed by Thomas Gur",
March 19, 2005).
Dr.
Piñera holds a Master (1972) and Ph.D. (1974) degree in
Economics from Harvard University. He graduated as an economist
(1970) from the Chicago-associated School of Economics of the
Catholic University of Chile.
(ICPR
website: www.pensionreform.org;
personal
website: www.JosePinera.com;
Twitter: josepinera).
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