How social science matters to the nation-state: A sociohistorical analysis of presidential addresses in Chile, 1900–2021

Although entanglements between the nation-state and the social sciences are often emphasized, little is hitherto known about how the state’s demands on the social sciences have evolved over time. Through a detailed analysis of Chilean presidential addresses from 1900 to 2021, this study examines the types of scientific knowledge that mattered to the nation-state and explores how and why this knowledge made a difference for leading representatives of the Chilean state. We identify three periods. In roughly the first half of the 20th century, the rational and scientific analysis of the state ( state-istics ) was privileged as a means to master the population and its needs. In the second half of the century, the legitimacy of political decisions became increasingly framed in economic terms. In recent decades, a symbiotic relationship between the “applied” social sciences and the goals of the nation-state persists, but recent presidential addresses reveal a more ambivalent stance toward the social sciences and a growing reliance on the input of boundary institutions, such as think tanks and policy-oriented research centers. Although this study focuses on the Chilean case, it also considers the influence of global contexts in shaping this nation-building project. In this sense, the analysis situates the evolving relationship between the social sciences and the state of the “Chilean experiment” within a broader global framework, offering insights that may contribute to understanding similar dynamics in other parts of the world.