Download file 74 KB Texto completo en español More of: Jaime Vatter J. Rodrigo Fuentes Ricardo Paredes M.

This article analyzes the degree of competition on the gas market in Chile beginning in 1978, the year when its deregulation began. It is known that the end consumer will not enjoy the benefits of fair competition unless it occurs in one of the stages of the chain of production.
In particular, this paper examines the possible legal, structural and behavioral limitations that may affect –at different levels– the free entry of companies to the gas market –the liquid fuel most questioned.
This study concludes that the evaluation of policies must not concentrate on the competitiveness of retailers nor on the contractual relationships they have with wholesalers but rather on the prior stages and on the factors that limit imports, specially transportation.