Javiera Petersen

Javiera Petersen
Undersecretary of Economy and Small Businesses
In office
11 March 2022 – 11 March 2026
PresidentGabriel Boric
Personal details
Born (1990-04-07) 7 April 1990 (age 36)
Valparaíso, Chile
PartyCommunist Party of Chile
EducationUniversity of Chile, University of London
OccupationEconomist

Javiera Petersen Muga (born 7 April 1990) is a Chilean economist. She serves as the Undersecretary of Economy and Small Businesses, a role she has held since March 2022. She is a prominent member of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh).

Early life & career

Petersen was born in Valparaíso, Chile. She holds a master's degree in economic analysis from the University of Chile and a master's degree in economic governance and policy from the University of London. In 2022, prior to her government appointment, she was a PhD student at University College London.

Petersen is a co-founder and executive director of the Observatorio de Políticas Económicas (OPES), an economic think tank and applied research centre. She has also worked as an external consultant for the World Bank and as a researcher at the Microdata Centre at the University of Chile.

Political career

In 2011, Petersen participated in the Chilean Winter, a series of student-led protests, which led to her involvement with the Communist Youth of Chile. During the 2017 presidential election, she was a member of the economic team for independent candidate Alejandro Guillier.

In 2021, Petersen worked on the presidential primary campaign of Daniel Jadue, mayor of Recoleta, contributing to the development of his economic policy platform. Following Jadue's defeat in the Communist Party primary, she joined the campaign of Gabriel Boric.

In February 2022, Petersen was appointed Undersecretary of Economy and Small Businesses by president-elect Boric. She took office on 11 March 2022; at age 31, she was the youngest undersecretary in Boric's cabinet.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Paridad de género y mayoría de profesionales de la U. de Chile: Quiénes son los subsecretarios nombrados por Gabriel Boric". Emol (in Spanish). February 1, 2022. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism". Government of Chile. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Ortiz, Florencia (February 2, 2022). "Quién es Javiera Petersen: la próxima subsecretaria de Economía del gobierno de Gabriel Boric". BioBioChile (in Spanish). Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Bobadilla, Matias (February 1, 2022). "Quién es Javiera Petersen, nueva subsecretaria de Economía". Radio Pauta 100.5 (in Spanish). Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Alonso, Carlos (March 27, 2022). "Javiera Petersen: "Las medidas que se anunciarán es la mejor política pública, dado el actual momento de la crisis"". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  6. 1 2 González, Felipe (August 6, 2021). "Javiera Petersen y Fernando Carmona: ¿Quiénes son los dos primeros comunistas en cruzar el muro para sumarse al comando de Boric?". The Clinic (in Spanish). Retrieved March 4, 2026.