TENTATIVE SYLLABUS

Political Economy of Latin American Development

Rosario, Argentina

Leopoldo Rodríguez

1. Course Content:

We will study the social, political and economic institutions that have shaped and currently define the development process in Latin America. We will discuss competing theoretical frameworks, review the history of development in Latin America and study current issues such as the foreign debt, privatization, trade liberalization and recurrent financial crises. The course has been designed with non-economics majors in mind.

2. Course Objectives:

Students will acquire basic knowledge of the economic history of Latin America and the formation of the institutions that characterize the region. The course will enable them to distinguish between competing theories of development and their corresponding policies. A focus on Argentina’s experience will provide information particularly relevant to understand the present day conditions faced by people in Rosario.

3. Proposed Excursions (approval pending):

a. Buenos Aires (long weekend)

As the main port and capital of the country, Buenos Aires has played a central role in the economic development of the country. In this excursion students will have an opportunity to visit the Plaza de Mayo, Congress, La Boca neighborhood and San Telmo. The flair of 19^th century architecture in downtown Buenos Aires, made possible by an export boom in grains and meat, will be contrasted with the slums surrounding the Riachuelo, location of arrival of hundreds of thousands of immigrants a century ago and birthplace of tango music. In addition, a visit to a factory taken over by workers during the most recent crisis, and currently operated as a cooperative, will be arranged.

b. Colonia San Carlos (day trip)

Located a few kilometers from the city of Santa Fe, San Carlos is composed of several well-to-do towns. Dedicated to agriculture, primarily the cultivation of soybeans and corn these days, the area was originally settled by immigrants from Northern Italy and Switzerland. The highly mechanized family farms of the area make an interesting contrast with the high unemployment levels experienced in the urban setting of Rosario. Visits to family farms and a rabbit farm will be arranged.

c. Parana, Entre Rios (day trip)

The city of Parana offers a relaxed atmosphere, reminiscent of quieter times in Argentina. A trip to the city will enable a visit to the Museum of the Mate, an important cultural and economic icon of the region. Crossing the river Parana will also afford students a closer look at Entre Rios, a province that has retained more of its Guarani indigenous roots.

4. Instructional Methodology:

The course will consist primarily of lectures, but I actively encourage students to participate with comments and questions. Teaching in Rosario I will have plenty of opportunities to relate the material to the local context. Classroom activities will be supplemented with the excursions mentioned above.

5. Evaluation Method:

Class participation and attendance 20%

Journal 20%

Midterm exam 25%

Final exam 35%

Discussion/Participation

All students are expected to actively participate in class discussion. Class attendance will also be taken in consideration.

Journal

You will keep a journal with weekly observations of differences between Argentina and the US regarding socio-economic conditions and daily life. In the first few weeks I will provide you a specific topic to give focus to your entries. You should base your journal entries on direct observation of Argentine society and on conversations with Argentine people (host family, students, the attendant at the quiosco, etc.).

Midterm Exam

You will have a midterm examination. You must cite the reading material from our course in the answers to the questions.

Final Exam

Your final exam will be cumulative.

6. Required Readings:

FSW: Frederick Stirton Weaver, Latin America in the World Economy: Mercantile Colonialism to Global Capitalism, Westview Press, Boulder, 2000.

Additional required readings available as photocopies (see below).

7. Schedule of Topics

Week 1

From Colonial Period to Independence

FSW, Chapters 1 and 2.

Eduardo Galeano, “Lust for Gold, Lust for Silver,” Open Veins of Latin America, Monthly Review Press, New York, 1973, pp. 21-70.

Week 2

From 19^th Century Liberalism to World War II

FSW, Chapter 3.

James Scobie, "Consolidation of a Nation," Argentina: A City and a Nation, Second Edition, Oxford University Press, New York, 1971, pp. 189-216.

Week 3

The Role of the State and Import Substitution Industrialization

FSW, Chapters 4 and 5.

Joseph Love, "Raúl Prebisch and the Origins of the Doctrine of Unequal Exchange," in James L. Dietz and James H. Street (eds.), Latin America's Economic Development: Institutionalist and Structuralist Perspectives, Lynne Rienner Publishers, Boulder, CO, 1987, pp. 78-100.

Week 4

Dependency Theory

FSW, Chapter 6.

Andre Gunder Frank, “The Development of Underdevelopment,” Underdevelopment or Revolution, Montly Review Press, New York, 1969, pp. 3-17.

Week 5

Neoliberal Experiments in Authoritarian Regimes

Henry Veltmeyer, James Petras and Steve Vieux, Chapter 4, Neoliberalism and Class Conflict in Latin America, St. Martin’s Press, New York.

Alejandro Foxley, “The Turn Toward Radical Economic Policies,” Latin American Experiments in Neoconservative Economics, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1983, pp. 18-39.

Possibly excursion to Entre Rios, where students can contrast country side to Rosario and identify concepts of periphery and center within Argentina.

Week 6

The Debt Crisis

FSW, Chapter 7.

Eliana Cardoso and Ann Helwege, "Debt," Latin America's Economy: Divesity, Trends and Conflict. The MIT Press, Cambridge, pp. 109-137.

Week 7

Structuralism, Heterodox Policies and Adjustment

John Sheahan, “Inflation, External Deficits, and IMF Stablilization Programs,” Patterns of Development in Latin America, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1987, pp. 99-129.

Possibly excursion to Colonia San Carlos, where students will be able to see first hand the impact of 19^th century immigration on the rural areas, and corroborate the enormous wealth potential of agriculture in Argentina.

Week 8

The Rise of Neoliberalism: The Washington Consensus

John Williamson, “What Washington Means by Policy Reform,” Latin American Adjustment: How Much Has Happened?, Institute for International Economics, Washington, DC, 1990, pp. 7-20.

Sebastian Edwards, "The Emergence of a new Latin American Consensus," Crisis and Reform in Latin America, Oxford University Press, New York, 1995, p. 41-65.

Week 9

Neoliberalism and Democratization

Atilio Boron, “Democracy or Neoliberalism?” Boston Review, available at http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR21.5/boron.html.

Leopoldo Rodriguez, "Neoliberalism and Democracy," Economic Development, No. 1 & 2, 2006.

Week 10

Crises of Neoliberalism: Mexico and Argentina

Paul Krugman, “Dutch Tulips and Emerging Markets,” Foreign Affairs, Summer 1995.

Leopoldo Rodríguez, "Public Service Privatization and Crisis in Argentina," Development in Practice, June 2005.

Joseph Stiglitz, “Lessons from Argentina's debacle,” Straits Times (Singapore), Jan. 10, 2002.

Marcela Valente, “Argentina’s Rebellion in the Neighborhoods,” February 12, 2002.

Week 11

Assessing Neoliberalism

Evelyne Huber and Fred Slot, "Successes and Failures of Neoliberalism," Latin American Research Review, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2004.

Michael Walton, "Neoliberalism in Latin America: Good, Bad, or Incomplete?" Latin American Research Review, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2004.

Possibly excursion to Buenos Aires, where contrasting effects of neoliberalism can be identified and a visit to a worker-run factory would illustrate the effects of the 1998-2002 crisis.

Week 12

Turn to the Left

Jorge Castañeda, “Latin America’s Left Turn,” Foreign Affairs, May-June 2006.

Week 13

Rethinking Development

Gustavo Esteva

James Petras, “Indigenous Peoples Arise: Ecuador on the Move” in A System in Crisis, Zed Books, London, 2004.