1. REVISITING THE DEBATE BETWEEN
DEPENDENCY THEORY AND
NEOLIBERALISM: EXPLAINING
ARGENTINA’S ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT FROM 1880-2010
Leigh Cummins Adviser: Dr. Miguel Centellas

2. INTRODUCTION
o Topic was inspired by
study abroad in Argentina
o Interest in global
economics and business
o Thesis combines both
Photo by Leigh Cummins

3. RESEARCH QUESTION
 Does Dependency Theory or
Neoliberalism better explain
periods of success/failure in
Argentina’s economy during
the last century?

4. FRAMEWORK: SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
 Dependency Theory
 Emerged in 1950s
 Based on work by Raúl
Prebisch and Hans Singer
 Divides the core and
periphery to explain
developmental difference
 Promoted ISI
 Neoliberalism
 Similar to classical
liberalism
 Revived in the 1970s, 1980s
 Theory aimed to resolve
failures caused by ISI
 Washington Consensus,
Chicago school

5. HYPOTHESIS
 Tentatively, that Argentina
has been more successful
when following the model
of Neoliberal economics
 However, both theories
will be tested and analyzed
Photo by Britannica.com
Photo by
Leigh
Cummins

6. RESEARCH DESIGN
Methodology includes:
o Incorporating existing data sets
o World Bank, ECLAC
o If I cannot find data for certain time periods, I will
use secondary sources for those times
o Also, possible to change time frame of project
o Specific indicators: GDP per capita, poverty rates, HDI,
literacy rates (possibly more TBD)

7. OUTLINE
 Thesis
 Ch. 1: Introduction
 Based on prospectus,
background information
and interest
 Ch. 2: Review of Literature
 Initial explanation of
foundation of project
 Ch. 3: Economic History of
Argentina
 Ch. 4: Analysis and
Application
 Ch. 5: Conclusion
 Future plans:
 Continue
research/reading
 Incorporate data
 Complete analysis

8. SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cardoso, Fernando Enrique and Enzo Faletto. Dependency and Development in Latin
America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1979.
Collier, Paul. The Bottom Billion. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2007.
Curry, Jeffrey Edmund. International Economics. Novato, CA: World Trade Press, 2000.
Kent, Robert B. Latin America: Regions and People. New York, NY: The Guilford Press,
2006.
Love, Joseph L. “Raúl Prebisch and the Origins of the Doctrine of Unequal Exchange.”
Latin American Research Review 15, no. 3 (1980) : 45-72.
Oatley, Thomas. International Political Economy. New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.,
2008.
Sachs, Jeffrey. The End of Poverty. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 2005.
Thorsen, Dag Einar and Amund Lie. “What is Neoliberalism?”. Norway: University of Oslo,
2000.