This book by Margarita Fajardo is a fascinating, captivating and enlightening history of ideas –t... more This book by Margarita Fajardo is a fascinating, captivating and enlightening history of ideas –their origin, context, controversies, influence and evolution – across the changing economic, social and political circumstances in Latin America and worldwide. The focus is on ‘structuralism’, sometimes referred to as the ‘centre-periphery paradigm’, and on ‘dependency theory’. While much has been written on structuralism and dependency, this book’s novelty is in Fajardo’s extensive use of archival material. This allows her to unearth not only the usual official documents but the private correspondence of some key contributors to these theories, such as Andre Gunder Frank and Fernando Henrique Cardoso. These contain some revealing insights into the timing and development of their ideas, among other snippets.
Se analiza aquí la contribución de América Latina a la teoría
del desarrollo enfocada en el parad... more Se analiza aquí la contribución de América Latina a la teoría del desarrollo enfocada en el paradigma estructuralista o centro-periférico, del análisis del colonialismo interno y marginalidad, y estudios sobre la dependencia. Dondequiera se presenten, resultan importantes las divergentes posiciones clave de la escuela latinoamericana
A host of internationally eminent scholars are brought together to explore the structural causes ... more A host of internationally eminent scholars are brought together to explore the structural causes of rural poverty and income inequality as well as the processes of social exclusion and political subordination encountered by the peasantry and rural workers. Utilizing new empirical evidence from ten countries and in-depth analysis of key country studies, a comparative analysis of agrarian reforms and their impact on rural poverty in Africa, Asia, Latin America and transition countries is undertaken. This volume provides a critical analysis and framework for the study of neoliberal land policies in the current phase of globalization. Land, Poverty and Livelihoods in an Era of Globalization determines that the currently dominant neoliberal economic and social policies do not tackle the main causes of rural poverty and are thus unable to significantly reduce, let alone eliminate, this major development problem. The book undertakes a critical analysis of past agrarian reform policies as well as of current neoliberal land policies. It seeks to propose an agrarian reform policy embedded in an appropriate development strategy which is able to significantly reduce, and hopefully eliminate, rural poverty.
C ristóbal Kay es en la actualidad Associate Professor in Development Studies and Rural Developme... more C ristóbal Kay es en la actualidad Associate Professor in Development Studies and Rural Development en el Institute of Social Studies, con sede en La Haya (Holanda), así como Honorary Research Fellow in Geography and Environmental Sciences en la Universidad de Birmingham (Reino Unido). Durante los últimos treinta años ha centrado su actividad investigadora en la problemática de las áreas rurales de América Latina, abarcando temas que van desde la capitalización de las estructuras agrarias y las dinámicas de cambio social derivadas de ella hasta los desafíos planteados por la recurrencia de la pobreza en el medio rural, pasando por el análisis comparado de la economía rural en Europa y América Latina, el gran debate sobre el significado y el alcance de la era de las reformas agrarias en la región, la situación y las expectativas de futuro de la pequeña agricultura campesina, o la reflexión y los aportes de las teorías del desarrollo desde una perspectiva latinoamericana. Hablar de Cristóbal Kay es, de hecho, hacer alusión a una de las grandes figuras de la investigación social sobre el cambio agrario en Latinoamérica y su obra, siempre rigurosa e incisiva, constituye un referente ineludible en la literatura especializada. Co-editor de la European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CEDLA, Amsterdam) y miembro del consejo asesor internacional de publicaciones como The Journal of Agrarian Change (Blackwell, Oxford), la Revista Mexicana de Sociología (UNAM, México) o The European Journal of Development Research (Routledge, Londres), su producción intelectual abarca numerosos libros y artículos, cuyo recuento exhaustivo escaparía a los límites de esa breve presentación. Sí me parece pertinente señalar algunos títulos,
Este artículo analiza los orígenes y el desarrollo de la teoría de la dependencia a través de la ... more Este artículo analiza los orígenes y el desarrollo de la teoría de la dependencia a través de la vida y la obra de Theotonio Dos Santos, los cuales se indagan en sus años de formación en la academia y su temprano activismo político en Brasil, en particular, su paso por la Universidad de Brasilia junto a Vania Bambirra, Ruy Mauro Marini y André Gunder Frank (“el cuarteto”). A esto le sigue una discusión sobre sus años de exilio en Chile, donde el cuarteto se reagrupó en el Centro de Estudios Socio-Económicos (CESO) de la Universidad de Chile, y donde escribió sus textos fundacionales sobre la teoría de la dependencia. Chile proporcionó un terreno fértil para el desarrollo de esta teoría por su clima intelectual, institucionalidad y las transformaciones políticas del país a fines de la década de los sesenta y comienzos de la de los setenta. El derrocamiento militar del gobierno de Allende, ese fatídico 11 de septiembre de 1973, obligó al cuarteto una vez más al exilio. El artículo co...
International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2009
The Latin American structuralist school argues that the problems of development of the underdevel... more The Latin American structuralist school argues that the problems of development of the underdeveloped countries have to be analyzed within the context of the world economy. For this purpose, they divide the world into a ‘center’ and a ‘periphery’. The center or developed countries dominate the world economy and the periphery or underdeveloped countries lack the capacity for autonomous development as their development process is much influenced by their multiple linkages to the center. Thus, center and periphery are simultaneous and interdependent processes. The structuralist theory, sometimes referred to as the ‘center–periphery’ paradigm, challenged the validity of the neoclassical and orthodox theory of international trade, which argued that international trade would mainly benefit the developing countries. It argued, on the contrary, that the income inequalities between them increased as there was a transfer of an economic surplus from the periphery to the center through unequal exchange. The Latin American structuralist school, by contesting aspects of the dominant Anglo-Saxon and Eurocentric theories and developing their own historical, holistic, and structural interpretation of the development processes and problems of the developing countries, conveyed a more balanced perspective on the processes of development and underdevelopment, thereby greatly enriching our understanding of the world system.
... The struggles against oppression and for democratisation have scored notable suc-cesses in re... more ... The struggles against oppression and for democratisation have scored notable suc-cesses in recent ... pp 14, 20, speaks of the 'right-wing structuralism' and 'militant structural adjustment' of the ... 37 Manzo, while holding a counter-modernist view of development theory, writes in a ...
The purpose of this article is to critically review the work of Andre Gunder Frank.
This is no e... more The purpose of this article is to critically review the work of Andre Gunder Frank.
This is no easy task given the prolific and controversial nature of his life work. His
main distinction is as a paradigm breaker and a paradigm maker. Frank is one of
the founders of contemporary world system theory. He coined some memorable
expressions such as the ‘development of underdevelopment’ and ‘Re-Orient’.
Indeed, these two concepts highlight two distinct phases in his work. His first
phase is characterised by his writings on dependency theory and his initial
understanding of world system theory broadly in line with Amin, Arrighi and
Wallerstein. His second phase is distinguished by what he considers to be the
‘Eurocentric’ interpretation of world system theory of Wallerstein and others as
well as by his critique of his own earlier work. While some of Frank’s analyses
and assertions proved to be wrong, he provided much inspiration to a new generation
of scholars and activists, some of whom provided the necessary empirical
evidence and theoretical rigour lacking in parts of Frank’s work. But he excelled
in his mission of providing the big picture, asking the unimaginable questions and
exploring hitherto inconceivable interrelationships.
This essay reviews some of the main interpretations in development studies on agriculture's contr... more This essay reviews some of the main interpretations in development studies on agriculture's contribution to economic development. It explores the relationship between agriculture and industry as well as between the rural and urban sectors in the process of development. These issues are discussed by analysing the so-called 'Soviet industrialisation debate', the 'urban bias' thesis, the development strategies pursued in East Asia and Latin America from a comparative perspective, the impact of neoliberal policies on rural-urban relations and the 'agriculture-for-development' proposal of the World Development Report 2008. The main argument arising from analysing these issues is that a development strategy which creates and enhances the synergies between agriculture and industry and goes beyond the rural-urban divide offers the best possibilities for generating a process of rural development able to eradicate rural poverty. Keywords: rural development; rural poverty; agriculture-industry synergies; rural-urban relations; development strategies is has been a necessary condition for successful capitalist transition and its accompanying structural transformation, it has never been more than a preliminary to them. Such transition has required full-scale capitalist industrialisation and a transformed, productive agriculture; and this has entailed cumulative capitalist accumulation. These have necessitated certain kinds of class formation. All of the relevant processes have been mediated, in one way or another, by an emerging capitalist state. Critical have been the creation of accumulation-oriented capitalist classes and of a proletariat (both rural and urban)-the latter possible by the separation of peasants from their means of production. (Byres 2005, 89-90) The world is at a turning point as for the first time in human history the urban population is today larger than the rural population. However, poverty has still overwhelmingly a rural face and the rural economy and society still perform a vital part in the development process and in people's well-being. Current concerns about global warming, deforestation, the food crisis, genetically modified organisms Some ideas in this article were first presented in a seminar of the International Development Studies Speakers Programme,
This collection of essays analyzes the experience of contemporary land reform policies in ten dif... more This collection of essays analyzes the experience of contemporary land reform policies in ten different national settings and makes a case for far-reaching comprehensive land reforms to combat inequality and rural poverty. The case studies are well researched, thorough and smart. The scholars who contribute to this volume have all done extensive work on the ground, having been involved with policy and practice in their own countries as well as in international settings and debates. In the final chapter, the editors conclude that land reforms are a necessary component of national poverty reduction strategies but they must be supported by civil society and the state and matched with productivity-enhancing agricultural policies. They argue that the dominant policy approach towards land, namely the neoliberal market-based reforms promoted by the World Bank and other multilateral, regional and bilateral development agencies, have reduced peasant access to land, increased inequality and largely resulted in negative or no reductions in poverty. Read this book, and then open the signature report of the organization against which the authors are arrayed: the World Development Report (WDR). The most recent report, published by the World Bank in 2008, is focused-for the first time in 25 yearsexclusively on agriculture. Skimming through the WDR, one gets a surprise: on the surface, it could almost be a companion piece to the edited volume. The Bank argues for policy changes in order to reduce inequality, cut rural poverty rates and stimulate growth. The seemingly sympathetic report was written under the co-direction of Derek Byerlee and Alain de Janvry, two academic-consultants who, like the editors of Land, Poverty and Livelihoods , have long experience in the field of rural development. While the report talks only briefly about land reform (and then mostly in terms of getting land markets right with secure property titles), it details ways to strengthen smallholder agriculture, create appropriate markets and diversify rural livelihoods. As noted, on the surface of things, the two publications appear to be complementary: the conclusions the three editors draw in their final chapter resonate strongly with the overview findings presented in the WDR. And yet the two groups of scholars could not be further apart in their theoretical and ideological focus-they are so far apart that Land, Poverty and Livelihoods is in large part a critique of World Bank policy. Why? Where is the divergence? Are these really two different approaches or just different emphases in one path towards development? This is an important issue. The strength of what Akram-Lodhi, Borras Jr and Kay call 'neoliberal globalization', embodied in the WDR 2008, has been its ability to present its very particular perspective as universal common sense and therefore as the only correct path (hence Margaret Thatcher's famous self-fulfilling tag line: 'there is no alternative'). The WDR 2008 sounds so eminently reasonable, and it seems to incorporate all of the
In the mid-1970s, following the early shift to neoliberalism, the Chilean rural sector was restru... more In the mid-1970s, following the early shift to neoliberalism, the Chilean rural sector was restructured dramatically, becoming one of the most successful cases of non-traditional agricultural export (NTAE) growth. However, many analysts fail to discuss the problematic nature of Chile's integration into the global market. Underpinning this rapid growth of NTAEs is the exploitation of cheap peasant labour, especially seasonal female wage workers. This article examines the elements of continuity and change in agrarian policy since the transition to democracy in 1990. In particular, it presents the policy debate on the future of the peasantry: capitalization or proletarianization? The dilemma that policy makers face over maintaining high rates of NTAE growth while at the same time attempting to reduce poverty and income inequalities are also highlighted. The Chilean case can be considered as paradigmatic insofar as it exhibits key characteristics of the classical capitalist transformation of agriculture: the emergence of a new class of dynamic agricultural entrepreneurs, renewed proletarianization and land concentration, and intensification of social differentiation.
This essay introduces a special issue of the Journal of Agrarian Change on transnational agrarian... more This essay introduces a special issue of the Journal of Agrarian Change on transnational agrarian movements (TAMs). The contributors' methods and subjects vary widely in geographical, temporal and political scope. The contributors to this collection share an understanding of TAMs' complexity that grows out of an appreciation of the complicated historical origins and the delicate political balancing acts that necessarily characterize any effort to construct cross-border alliances linking highly heterogeneous organizations, social classes, ethnicities, political viewpoints and regions. This introductory essay outlines the TAMs' deep historical roots and also explains why and how the authors in this collection see this complexity as an essential element in understanding TAMs. This complexity can be understood by looking at seven common themes: (i) representation and agendas, (ii) political strategies and forms of actions, (iii) impact, (iv) TAMs as arenas of action between different (sub)national movements, (v) class origins, (vi) ideological and political differences and (vii) the dynamics of alliance-building. By acknowledging TAMs' contradictions, ambiguities and internal tensions, the authors also seek, from the standpoint of engaged intellectuals, to advance a transformative political project by better comprehending its origins, past successes and failures, and current and future challenges.
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto * Profes... more Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto * Profesor de posgrado en estudios del desarrollo y desarrollo rural, Instituto de Estudios Sociales, La Haya, Holanda. Líneas de investigación: pensamiento latinoamericano, desarrollo desigual y excluyente, pobreza rural.
En este capítulo, pasaré revista a los principales paradigmas empleados por científicos y agentes... more En este capítulo, pasaré revista a los principales paradigmas empleados por científicos y agentes sociales para analizar los procesos de desarrollo rural en América Latina desde el final de la II Guerra Mundial hasta la actualidad. En este contexto, el vocablo paradigma se utiliza en un sentido muy general que se refiere a enfoques o perspectivas sobre el desarrollo rural. Estas amplias visiones se nutren de teorías de las ciencias sociales que no se han desarrollado necesariamente de forma específica para el sector rural, sino que se ocupan de procesos de cambio más generales, procesos a nivel local, nacional o internacional, pero no confinados a un análisis sectorial exclusivo. Distingo cinco paradigmas de desarrollo rural principales: estructuralismo, modernización, dependencia, neoliberalismo y neoestructuralismo. Existe una cierta secuenciación de estos paradigmas,. ya que el estructuralismo y el paradigma de la modernización tuvieron influencia sobre todo desde los cincuenta hasta mediados los sesenta, el paradigma de la dependencia durante el final de los sesenta y a lo largo de los setenta, el neoliberalismo durante los ochenta y noventa, y el neoestructuralismo a partir de esos mismos noventa.
This book by Margarita Fajardo is a fascinating, captivating and enlightening history of ideas –t... more This book by Margarita Fajardo is a fascinating, captivating and enlightening history of ideas –their origin, context, controversies, influence and evolution – across the changing economic, social and political circumstances in Latin America and worldwide. The focus is on ‘structuralism’, sometimes referred to as the ‘centre-periphery paradigm’, and on ‘dependency theory’. While much has been written on structuralism and dependency, this book’s novelty is in Fajardo’s extensive use of archival material. This allows her to unearth not only the usual official documents but the private correspondence of some key contributors to these theories, such as Andre Gunder Frank and Fernando Henrique Cardoso. These contain some revealing insights into the timing and development of their ideas, among other snippets.
Se analiza aquí la contribución de América Latina a la teoría
del desarrollo enfocada en el parad... more Se analiza aquí la contribución de América Latina a la teoría del desarrollo enfocada en el paradigma estructuralista o centro-periférico, del análisis del colonialismo interno y marginalidad, y estudios sobre la dependencia. Dondequiera se presenten, resultan importantes las divergentes posiciones clave de la escuela latinoamericana
A host of internationally eminent scholars are brought together to explore the structural causes ... more A host of internationally eminent scholars are brought together to explore the structural causes of rural poverty and income inequality as well as the processes of social exclusion and political subordination encountered by the peasantry and rural workers. Utilizing new empirical evidence from ten countries and in-depth analysis of key country studies, a comparative analysis of agrarian reforms and their impact on rural poverty in Africa, Asia, Latin America and transition countries is undertaken. This volume provides a critical analysis and framework for the study of neoliberal land policies in the current phase of globalization. Land, Poverty and Livelihoods in an Era of Globalization determines that the currently dominant neoliberal economic and social policies do not tackle the main causes of rural poverty and are thus unable to significantly reduce, let alone eliminate, this major development problem. The book undertakes a critical analysis of past agrarian reform policies as well as of current neoliberal land policies. It seeks to propose an agrarian reform policy embedded in an appropriate development strategy which is able to significantly reduce, and hopefully eliminate, rural poverty.
C ristóbal Kay es en la actualidad Associate Professor in Development Studies and Rural Developme... more C ristóbal Kay es en la actualidad Associate Professor in Development Studies and Rural Development en el Institute of Social Studies, con sede en La Haya (Holanda), así como Honorary Research Fellow in Geography and Environmental Sciences en la Universidad de Birmingham (Reino Unido). Durante los últimos treinta años ha centrado su actividad investigadora en la problemática de las áreas rurales de América Latina, abarcando temas que van desde la capitalización de las estructuras agrarias y las dinámicas de cambio social derivadas de ella hasta los desafíos planteados por la recurrencia de la pobreza en el medio rural, pasando por el análisis comparado de la economía rural en Europa y América Latina, el gran debate sobre el significado y el alcance de la era de las reformas agrarias en la región, la situación y las expectativas de futuro de la pequeña agricultura campesina, o la reflexión y los aportes de las teorías del desarrollo desde una perspectiva latinoamericana. Hablar de Cristóbal Kay es, de hecho, hacer alusión a una de las grandes figuras de la investigación social sobre el cambio agrario en Latinoamérica y su obra, siempre rigurosa e incisiva, constituye un referente ineludible en la literatura especializada. Co-editor de la European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CEDLA, Amsterdam) y miembro del consejo asesor internacional de publicaciones como The Journal of Agrarian Change (Blackwell, Oxford), la Revista Mexicana de Sociología (UNAM, México) o The European Journal of Development Research (Routledge, Londres), su producción intelectual abarca numerosos libros y artículos, cuyo recuento exhaustivo escaparía a los límites de esa breve presentación. Sí me parece pertinente señalar algunos títulos,
Este artículo analiza los orígenes y el desarrollo de la teoría de la dependencia a través de la ... more Este artículo analiza los orígenes y el desarrollo de la teoría de la dependencia a través de la vida y la obra de Theotonio Dos Santos, los cuales se indagan en sus años de formación en la academia y su temprano activismo político en Brasil, en particular, su paso por la Universidad de Brasilia junto a Vania Bambirra, Ruy Mauro Marini y André Gunder Frank (“el cuarteto”). A esto le sigue una discusión sobre sus años de exilio en Chile, donde el cuarteto se reagrupó en el Centro de Estudios Socio-Económicos (CESO) de la Universidad de Chile, y donde escribió sus textos fundacionales sobre la teoría de la dependencia. Chile proporcionó un terreno fértil para el desarrollo de esta teoría por su clima intelectual, institucionalidad y las transformaciones políticas del país a fines de la década de los sesenta y comienzos de la de los setenta. El derrocamiento militar del gobierno de Allende, ese fatídico 11 de septiembre de 1973, obligó al cuarteto una vez más al exilio. El artículo co...
International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2009
The Latin American structuralist school argues that the problems of development of the underdevel... more The Latin American structuralist school argues that the problems of development of the underdeveloped countries have to be analyzed within the context of the world economy. For this purpose, they divide the world into a ‘center’ and a ‘periphery’. The center or developed countries dominate the world economy and the periphery or underdeveloped countries lack the capacity for autonomous development as their development process is much influenced by their multiple linkages to the center. Thus, center and periphery are simultaneous and interdependent processes. The structuralist theory, sometimes referred to as the ‘center–periphery’ paradigm, challenged the validity of the neoclassical and orthodox theory of international trade, which argued that international trade would mainly benefit the developing countries. It argued, on the contrary, that the income inequalities between them increased as there was a transfer of an economic surplus from the periphery to the center through unequal exchange. The Latin American structuralist school, by contesting aspects of the dominant Anglo-Saxon and Eurocentric theories and developing their own historical, holistic, and structural interpretation of the development processes and problems of the developing countries, conveyed a more balanced perspective on the processes of development and underdevelopment, thereby greatly enriching our understanding of the world system.
... The struggles against oppression and for democratisation have scored notable suc-cesses in re... more ... The struggles against oppression and for democratisation have scored notable suc-cesses in recent ... pp 14, 20, speaks of the 'right-wing structuralism' and 'militant structural adjustment' of the ... 37 Manzo, while holding a counter-modernist view of development theory, writes in a ...
The purpose of this article is to critically review the work of Andre Gunder Frank.
This is no e... more The purpose of this article is to critically review the work of Andre Gunder Frank.
This is no easy task given the prolific and controversial nature of his life work. His
main distinction is as a paradigm breaker and a paradigm maker. Frank is one of
the founders of contemporary world system theory. He coined some memorable
expressions such as the ‘development of underdevelopment’ and ‘Re-Orient’.
Indeed, these two concepts highlight two distinct phases in his work. His first
phase is characterised by his writings on dependency theory and his initial
understanding of world system theory broadly in line with Amin, Arrighi and
Wallerstein. His second phase is distinguished by what he considers to be the
‘Eurocentric’ interpretation of world system theory of Wallerstein and others as
well as by his critique of his own earlier work. While some of Frank’s analyses
and assertions proved to be wrong, he provided much inspiration to a new generation
of scholars and activists, some of whom provided the necessary empirical
evidence and theoretical rigour lacking in parts of Frank’s work. But he excelled
in his mission of providing the big picture, asking the unimaginable questions and
exploring hitherto inconceivable interrelationships.
This essay reviews some of the main interpretations in development studies on agriculture's contr... more This essay reviews some of the main interpretations in development studies on agriculture's contribution to economic development. It explores the relationship between agriculture and industry as well as between the rural and urban sectors in the process of development. These issues are discussed by analysing the so-called 'Soviet industrialisation debate', the 'urban bias' thesis, the development strategies pursued in East Asia and Latin America from a comparative perspective, the impact of neoliberal policies on rural-urban relations and the 'agriculture-for-development' proposal of the World Development Report 2008. The main argument arising from analysing these issues is that a development strategy which creates and enhances the synergies between agriculture and industry and goes beyond the rural-urban divide offers the best possibilities for generating a process of rural development able to eradicate rural poverty. Keywords: rural development; rural poverty; agriculture-industry synergies; rural-urban relations; development strategies is has been a necessary condition for successful capitalist transition and its accompanying structural transformation, it has never been more than a preliminary to them. Such transition has required full-scale capitalist industrialisation and a transformed, productive agriculture; and this has entailed cumulative capitalist accumulation. These have necessitated certain kinds of class formation. All of the relevant processes have been mediated, in one way or another, by an emerging capitalist state. Critical have been the creation of accumulation-oriented capitalist classes and of a proletariat (both rural and urban)-the latter possible by the separation of peasants from their means of production. (Byres 2005, 89-90) The world is at a turning point as for the first time in human history the urban population is today larger than the rural population. However, poverty has still overwhelmingly a rural face and the rural economy and society still perform a vital part in the development process and in people's well-being. Current concerns about global warming, deforestation, the food crisis, genetically modified organisms Some ideas in this article were first presented in a seminar of the International Development Studies Speakers Programme,
This collection of essays analyzes the experience of contemporary land reform policies in ten dif... more This collection of essays analyzes the experience of contemporary land reform policies in ten different national settings and makes a case for far-reaching comprehensive land reforms to combat inequality and rural poverty. The case studies are well researched, thorough and smart. The scholars who contribute to this volume have all done extensive work on the ground, having been involved with policy and practice in their own countries as well as in international settings and debates. In the final chapter, the editors conclude that land reforms are a necessary component of national poverty reduction strategies but they must be supported by civil society and the state and matched with productivity-enhancing agricultural policies. They argue that the dominant policy approach towards land, namely the neoliberal market-based reforms promoted by the World Bank and other multilateral, regional and bilateral development agencies, have reduced peasant access to land, increased inequality and largely resulted in negative or no reductions in poverty. Read this book, and then open the signature report of the organization against which the authors are arrayed: the World Development Report (WDR). The most recent report, published by the World Bank in 2008, is focused-for the first time in 25 yearsexclusively on agriculture. Skimming through the WDR, one gets a surprise: on the surface, it could almost be a companion piece to the edited volume. The Bank argues for policy changes in order to reduce inequality, cut rural poverty rates and stimulate growth. The seemingly sympathetic report was written under the co-direction of Derek Byerlee and Alain de Janvry, two academic-consultants who, like the editors of Land, Poverty and Livelihoods , have long experience in the field of rural development. While the report talks only briefly about land reform (and then mostly in terms of getting land markets right with secure property titles), it details ways to strengthen smallholder agriculture, create appropriate markets and diversify rural livelihoods. As noted, on the surface of things, the two publications appear to be complementary: the conclusions the three editors draw in their final chapter resonate strongly with the overview findings presented in the WDR. And yet the two groups of scholars could not be further apart in their theoretical and ideological focus-they are so far apart that Land, Poverty and Livelihoods is in large part a critique of World Bank policy. Why? Where is the divergence? Are these really two different approaches or just different emphases in one path towards development? This is an important issue. The strength of what Akram-Lodhi, Borras Jr and Kay call 'neoliberal globalization', embodied in the WDR 2008, has been its ability to present its very particular perspective as universal common sense and therefore as the only correct path (hence Margaret Thatcher's famous self-fulfilling tag line: 'there is no alternative'). The WDR 2008 sounds so eminently reasonable, and it seems to incorporate all of the
In the mid-1970s, following the early shift to neoliberalism, the Chilean rural sector was restru... more In the mid-1970s, following the early shift to neoliberalism, the Chilean rural sector was restructured dramatically, becoming one of the most successful cases of non-traditional agricultural export (NTAE) growth. However, many analysts fail to discuss the problematic nature of Chile's integration into the global market. Underpinning this rapid growth of NTAEs is the exploitation of cheap peasant labour, especially seasonal female wage workers. This article examines the elements of continuity and change in agrarian policy since the transition to democracy in 1990. In particular, it presents the policy debate on the future of the peasantry: capitalization or proletarianization? The dilemma that policy makers face over maintaining high rates of NTAE growth while at the same time attempting to reduce poverty and income inequalities are also highlighted. The Chilean case can be considered as paradigmatic insofar as it exhibits key characteristics of the classical capitalist transformation of agriculture: the emergence of a new class of dynamic agricultural entrepreneurs, renewed proletarianization and land concentration, and intensification of social differentiation.
This essay introduces a special issue of the Journal of Agrarian Change on transnational agrarian... more This essay introduces a special issue of the Journal of Agrarian Change on transnational agrarian movements (TAMs). The contributors' methods and subjects vary widely in geographical, temporal and political scope. The contributors to this collection share an understanding of TAMs' complexity that grows out of an appreciation of the complicated historical origins and the delicate political balancing acts that necessarily characterize any effort to construct cross-border alliances linking highly heterogeneous organizations, social classes, ethnicities, political viewpoints and regions. This introductory essay outlines the TAMs' deep historical roots and also explains why and how the authors in this collection see this complexity as an essential element in understanding TAMs. This complexity can be understood by looking at seven common themes: (i) representation and agendas, (ii) political strategies and forms of actions, (iii) impact, (iv) TAMs as arenas of action between different (sub)national movements, (v) class origins, (vi) ideological and political differences and (vii) the dynamics of alliance-building. By acknowledging TAMs' contradictions, ambiguities and internal tensions, the authors also seek, from the standpoint of engaged intellectuals, to advance a transformative political project by better comprehending its origins, past successes and failures, and current and future challenges.
Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto * Profes... more Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto * Profesor de posgrado en estudios del desarrollo y desarrollo rural, Instituto de Estudios Sociales, La Haya, Holanda. Líneas de investigación: pensamiento latinoamericano, desarrollo desigual y excluyente, pobreza rural.
En este capítulo, pasaré revista a los principales paradigmas empleados por científicos y agentes... more En este capítulo, pasaré revista a los principales paradigmas empleados por científicos y agentes sociales para analizar los procesos de desarrollo rural en América Latina desde el final de la II Guerra Mundial hasta la actualidad. En este contexto, el vocablo paradigma se utiliza en un sentido muy general que se refiere a enfoques o perspectivas sobre el desarrollo rural. Estas amplias visiones se nutren de teorías de las ciencias sociales que no se han desarrollado necesariamente de forma específica para el sector rural, sino que se ocupan de procesos de cambio más generales, procesos a nivel local, nacional o internacional, pero no confinados a un análisis sectorial exclusivo. Distingo cinco paradigmas de desarrollo rural principales: estructuralismo, modernización, dependencia, neoliberalismo y neoestructuralismo. Existe una cierta secuenciación de estos paradigmas,. ya que el estructuralismo y el paradigma de la modernización tuvieron influencia sobre todo desde los cincuenta hasta mediados los sesenta, el paradigma de la dependencia durante el final de los sesenta y a lo largo de los setenta, el neoliberalismo durante los ochenta y noventa, y el neoestructuralismo a partir de esos mismos noventa.
El giro dependentista latinoamericano. Los orígenes de la teoría marxista de la Dependencia, 2022
Juan Cristóbal Cárdenas Castro y Raphael Lana Seabra, Editores, El giro dependentista latinoameri... more Juan Cristóbal Cárdenas Castro y Raphael Lana Seabra, Editores, El giro dependentista latinoamericano. Los orígenes de la teoría marxista de la Dependencia, Santiago de Chile: Ariadna Ediciones, 2022. El gran mérito y originalidad de este libro reside en que analiza el proceso de la creación de la teoría marxista de la dependencia investigando los escritos de sus fundadores, ya fallecidos, y a través de las reflexiones actuales de varios de sus colaboradores más cercanos. Las actuales generaciones de estudiantes e investigadores quizás no conozcan esta teoría y su significación o sólo tengan una idea vaga sobre ella debido a que fue formulada hace más de medio siglo y fue desplazada por el giro dogmático neoliberal. Los invito a leer este libro para responder a los desafíos actuales rescatando y renovando el pensamiento crítico latinoamericano. Y qué mejor manera que comenzar con revisar la teoría de la dependencia, que fue la primera teoría del Sur que analiza críticamente la realidad latinoamericana y cuestiona la relevancia de las teorías del Norte sobre el Sur, logrando contribuir al desarrollo de las ciencias sociales críticas a nivel mundial. Además, esta teoría, en su análisis sobre el sistema-mundo, permite una mejor comprensión de los procesos desiguales y excluyentes de la globalización neoliberal tanto a nivel mundial como nacional.
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del desarrollo enfocada en el paradigma estructuralista o
centro-periférico, del análisis del colonialismo interno y
marginalidad, y estudios sobre la dependencia. Dondequiera
se presenten, resultan importantes las divergentes posiciones
clave de la escuela latinoamericana
This is no easy task given the prolific and controversial nature of his life work. His
main distinction is as a paradigm breaker and a paradigm maker. Frank is one of
the founders of contemporary world system theory. He coined some memorable
expressions such as the ‘development of underdevelopment’ and ‘Re-Orient’.
Indeed, these two concepts highlight two distinct phases in his work. His first
phase is characterised by his writings on dependency theory and his initial
understanding of world system theory broadly in line with Amin, Arrighi and
Wallerstein. His second phase is distinguished by what he considers to be the
‘Eurocentric’ interpretation of world system theory of Wallerstein and others as
well as by his critique of his own earlier work. While some of Frank’s analyses
and assertions proved to be wrong, he provided much inspiration to a new generation
of scholars and activists, some of whom provided the necessary empirical
evidence and theoretical rigour lacking in parts of Frank’s work. But he excelled
in his mission of providing the big picture, asking the unimaginable questions and
exploring hitherto inconceivable interrelationships.
del desarrollo enfocada en el paradigma estructuralista o
centro-periférico, del análisis del colonialismo interno y
marginalidad, y estudios sobre la dependencia. Dondequiera
se presenten, resultan importantes las divergentes posiciones
clave de la escuela latinoamericana
This is no easy task given the prolific and controversial nature of his life work. His
main distinction is as a paradigm breaker and a paradigm maker. Frank is one of
the founders of contemporary world system theory. He coined some memorable
expressions such as the ‘development of underdevelopment’ and ‘Re-Orient’.
Indeed, these two concepts highlight two distinct phases in his work. His first
phase is characterised by his writings on dependency theory and his initial
understanding of world system theory broadly in line with Amin, Arrighi and
Wallerstein. His second phase is distinguished by what he considers to be the
‘Eurocentric’ interpretation of world system theory of Wallerstein and others as
well as by his critique of his own earlier work. While some of Frank’s analyses
and assertions proved to be wrong, he provided much inspiration to a new generation
of scholars and activists, some of whom provided the necessary empirical
evidence and theoretical rigour lacking in parts of Frank’s work. But he excelled
in his mission of providing the big picture, asking the unimaginable questions and
exploring hitherto inconceivable interrelationships.
El gran mérito y originalidad de este libro reside en que analiza el proceso de la creación de la teoría marxista de la dependencia investigando los escritos de sus fundadores, ya fallecidos, y a través de las reflexiones actuales de varios de sus colaboradores más cercanos. Las actuales generaciones de estudiantes e investigadores quizás no conozcan esta teoría y su significación o sólo tengan una idea vaga sobre ella debido a que fue formulada hace más de medio siglo y fue desplazada por el giro dogmático neoliberal. Los invito a leer este libro para responder a los desafíos actuales rescatando y renovando el pensamiento crítico latinoamericano. Y qué mejor manera que comenzar con revisar la teoría de la dependencia, que fue la primera teoría del Sur que analiza críticamente la realidad latinoamericana y cuestiona la relevancia de las teorías del Norte sobre el Sur, logrando contribuir al desarrollo de las ciencias sociales críticas a nivel mundial. Además, esta teoría, en su análisis sobre el sistema-mundo, permite una mejor comprensión de los procesos desiguales y excluyentes de la globalización neoliberal tanto a nivel mundial como nacional.