Dependency and Crisis in Brazil and Argentina - (Pitt Latin American) by F Antunes de Oliveira (Hardcover)

About the Book

Provides a Detailed Analysis of Argentine and Brazilian Political Economy Over the Last Three Decades

Book Synopsis

In the two largest countries in South America, successive waves of structural reforms adopted in the name of development invariably have ended in disappointment. The promise of development never seems to materialize. Dependency and Crisis in Brazil and Argentinaexamines why. Instead of looking for policy failures, F. Antunes de Oliveira's focus is on the parameters of the public debate about "development" itself. An unfruitful dispute between neoliberalism and neodevelopmentalism has dominated Brazilian and Argentine political economy debates to the detriment of both countries. Antunes de Oliveira presents a comprehensive theoretical and empirical critique of the neoliberal and neodevelopmentalist structural reform cycles in Brazil and Argentina and applies insights from dependency theory to craft an alternative political economy framework for the analysis of development challenges.

Review Quotes

What emerges is a comprehensive picture of the contradictions, structural limitations, and ultimate failures of both neoliberals and neodevelopmentalists to weather international crises and promote sustained and shared economic progress.-- "Hispanic American Historical Review"

Dependency and Crisis in Brazil and Argentina argues that neither the illusion of a market-led society nor the mirage of a capitalist state-led path was able to overcome structural and historical problems in these two countries, such as external dependence and social inequality. It is a fascinating and original book, with great power of synthesis, theoretical relevance, and fresh empirical material.--Joana Salém Vasconcelos, Universidade Federal do ABC

Dependency and Crisis in Brazil and Argentina: A Critique of Market and State Utopias is an excellent study of the tensions between neoliberalism and neodevelopmentalism in these two countries. Antunes de Oliveira's comparative approach and his deep knowledge provide a new, rich history of political and economic disappointment. This study is a major contribution to development studies and Latin American studies.--Michael A. Cohen, The New School

At a moment when dependency theory is having a revival, Antunes de Oliveira's deep and innovative reading of key insights from Latin American dependency theorists is timely. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in efforts to understand trajectories of social, political, and economic change in Brazil and Argentina from a non-Eurocentric starting point.--Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven, King's College

About the Author

F. Antunes de Oliveira is a senior lecturer in international relations at Queen Mary University of London and coordinating editor at Latin American Perspectives. Before joining Queen Mary, he worked as a diplomat at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.