The rise and fall of economic development preoccupations in Argentina and the turn toward neoliberalism in the 1970s

This chapter offers a structured account of the transition in economic discussions in Argentina from debates on development and its relationship with industrialisation and the role of the state, to the rise of neoliberal thinking in the 1970s. It presents the preoccupations of some antecedents of industry drawn from the first industrialisation experiences and their influence on some renowned Argentine structuralist authors. The chapter traces the main lines of the development debates in Argentina among professional economists, policymakers and academics during the 1950s and throughout the 1960s. It presents the historical circumstances that led to the end of development thought, stressing how the economic burdens that external constraints placed on the economy would later turn discussions toward prudent macroeconomic management. The chapter identifies the links between the rise of neoliberal ideas and some salient features of the economic policy implemented during the last Argentine dictatorship.