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Although many international relations (IR) theory and international political economy textbooks consistently reference dependency theory, it is commonly considered a passé , outdated, or defunct theoretical approach. This paper challenges conventional wisdom, stressing the continued relevance of dependency as an analytical approach. Overall, it argues that Dependency theory represents a successful effort at decentering IR. To do so, it first discusses decentering as an effort to challenge and engage core concepts in IR to transform the "universal" understandings of global politics. In this sense, Dependency theory decentered IR by introducing an understanding of the world in which Western and non-Western spaces are mutually constitutive, highlighting the role of non-core contexts in creating and maintaining the status quo of the universal. Second, the paper analyzes the influence of Dependency theory in modern discourses of political economy like the resource curse, globalization, Post-Colonialism, and Post-Developmentalism. These parallelisms show Dependency's effectiveness at decentering IR and transforming the way the discipline studies non-core spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dependency theory had great influence in Latin America between 1940 and 1970, but since then it has lost political and academic relevance. However, in recent years, the dependency agenda has been increasingly revisited, incorporating new analytical axes and conceptual bridges with other theories. Despite this, this agenda remains largely blind to gender and racial-ethnic inequalities. This paper aims precisely to address this gap by combining the dependency school with feminist economics to address the links between gender inequalities and Latin American peripheral position. In particular, I propose to develop two analytical axes resulting from the combination of both currents. First, I argue that gender inequalities function as 'adjustment variables' in the 'up' and 'down' economic cycles of Latin American countries. Thus, women's wages and more precarious working conditions constitute a central axis of peripheral countries in the international competition for attracting capital. Second, I argue that the large wage gap and high informality derived from the productive structure of the periphery catalyse the commodification of 'low-cost' paid domestic work. This 'cheap' care work satisfies the care needs not only of the upper-middle sectors of the peripheries, but also of the central markets through Global Care Chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper merges constructivist theoretical insights into the rival role identity, rival role relationships, and the resulting culture of anarchy that characterizes the interstate system with recent empirical measures of rivalry. This project is carried out through an examination of the Latin American regional subsystem, which has already received some attention from analysts concerned with interstate culture, largely because of the relative lack of interstate conflict in the region. The dyadic relationships of 17 Latin American states and the culture they produce are examined between 1948 and 1992. The paper employs simultaneous equation modeling to capture aspects of the co-constitution of these agents and structures, consistent with constructivist theory. The results indicate that the Lockean culture of anarchy and the adoption of a dyadic rival role relationship are affected by a variety of factors emphasized by realists, liberals, and constructivists in the Latin American context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Latin American Studies is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose - Three broad behavioral categories have been related to organizational goals: task (in-role), citizenship (extra-role), and counterproductive behaviors. Because most studies modeling these behaviors have been conducted in culturally similar contexts (individualistic and relatively low power distance settings), the purpose of this paper is to test the invariance of such a triad categorization of performance in collectivistic and high power distance contexts. Design/methodology/approach - Data of employees' proficiencies (n?=?1,022) in 34 work activities representing the three behavioral performance categories were factor analyzed. Data were collected by adapting existing behavioral-based instruments exhibiting strong psychometric properties. Findings - Although results corroborate the existence of a triad categorization of employee behaviors, culture-specific variations attesting to the partitioning of in-role behaviors according to the distribution of power in organizations were found. Results also suggest that collectivistic individuals narrowly conceptualize extra-role behaviors by excluding discretionary interpersonal actions. Practical implications - The paper's findings contribute to our understanding of how job performance varies in a global economy. These variations must be considered in appraisal instruments, especially in organizations operating across cultural contexts. Originality/value - This paper is believed to be the first to test the cultural invariance of a triad categorization of relevant employee behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: India in Asia and Brazil in Latin America are regarded as the most promising global economies. This paper examines the openings and possibilities for space technology collaboration between India and Latin American states under the larger rubric of science and technology collaboration. While the distance and language barriers between the two regions have proved a hindrance in the past, the paper proceeds with an assumption that, in the 21st century, such barriers should not be a limitation on developing strategic, economic, and science and technology partnerships among nation-states. The paper argues that the Latin American states are keen to have their own satellites because of their significant utility in the socioeconomic sector and this offers an opportunity to India to use cooperation in space technologies as a powerful tool for engagement in Latin America. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This introductory paper to the special section of Global Environmental Change entitled “Global transformations, social metabolism and the dynamics of socio-environmental conflicts” argues that the emergence of new global economic centers is inducing a major expansion in the global social metabolism—the flows of energy and materials into the world economy —, a transformation in the systems for the extraction and provision of natural resources, as well as setting the conditions for socio-environmental conflicts at the commodity frontiers, particularly in areas with a dense human occupation of the territory. We point out that we are currently experiencing global transformations that constitute the beginning of a new historical phase of modern capitalism. The aim of the paper is to draw an overall picture of such transformations, to discuss some of their implications for resource-rich countries, particularly in Latin America and Africa, and by doing so to provide an analytical framework that allow us to make explicit the linkages between the different papers that compose the special section. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose - This paper's aim is to evaluate the effect of the use of information technology and communications (ITC) on the international competitiveness of firms in developing countries. The study also seeks to evaluate other factors that allow or condition the use of ITC such as: human resources, collaboration of the industrial sector, and local environment. Design/methodology/approach - These effects are examined through an empirical research of 100 small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from a developing country - Peru. Findings - SMEs from developing countries follow an isomorphic approach. This is because they tend to imitate or copy the better practices from developed countries. The results have shown that ITCs have a positive effect on the international competitiveness of firms. Research limitations/implications - A limitation is the cross-sectional character of this research. Practical implications - Firms use ITC to manage their inventory, for the communication between manufacturers and offices, and suppliers, for bill payments, and for the management of sales and marketing, and for the management of their networks. Originality/value - According to the literature reviewed, this study is one of the pioneers in contrasting empirically whether the use of ITC contributes positively to the international competitiveness of firms in the developing countries of Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is increasingly evident that advanced forms of speculative value that have become the driving engine behind the inflated global art market are nonetheless inextricably bound to and dependent upon more informal market systems that operate through the spontaneous organization of exploitable, precarious, marginalized, and ultimately undervalued forms of labor. This fact makes labor a pivotal site where the linkages between these two purportedly independent markets (and their respective systems of value and exchange) come into focus and can be more tangibly assessed and critiqued. This paper will follow this current by first contextualizing the function of labor within two contrasting historical traditions/tendencies of art and cultural production that explicitly reference labor as an essential structuring condition of the work. It will then develop a detailed case study of a recent exchange between two contemporary media/video artists in Los Angeles that demonstrates the complexities of how the market value of art is implicated within a precarious trans-national wage labor system in the neoliberalist global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the resurgence of the Latin American manufacturing industry after suffering through several years of difficulty. With the success of such manufacturers as Embracer and Tennaris, there is no doubt of the enormous potential that Latin America has to offer. However, a complete transformation in Latin America's social thinking and political behavior is necessary for it to become more competitive in a global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contrast between industrial experience in East and South East Asia and Latin America is dramatic. Whilst a first generation of newly industrialized economies in East Asia grew rapidly on the basis of manufacturing expansion, the longer-established industries of Latin America have performed relatively poorly by most indicators. This paper utilizes data from UN and World Bank databases to assess relative performance since the early 1980s. It shows that whilst there is some evidence of modest catch-up in efficiency terms for Latin America in the 1990s, this is not enough to make serious inroads into the loss of international competitiveness experienced by the region in earlier decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the report of American Economic Association (AEA) to the International Economic Association (IEA). Since the last report, made to the Executive Committee of the AEA at its spring meeting, 1957, the chief activities of IEA have been the conduct of two major round tables. The first of these was held in Rio de Janeiro from August 19 to 28, and the second in Lisbon, September 11 to 18, 1957. The second round table of the past year resulted from an impetus given to the various international social science organizations by the Social Science Council of UNESCO to study the consequences of the contrasting size of nations. Plans for future activities of the IEA include a round table on capital theory in 1958, and, in the near future, a refresher course in Pakistan arid a conference in Africa on the economic development of Africa south of the equator. Applications for membership in the IEA have been received from associations in Bolivia, Mexico, Spain, and the USSR. Exclusive of these, not yet acted upon, the membership of the IEA includes twenty-seven associations.

Copyright of Trayectorias is the property of Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on a study which examined the competition between Latin American and Chinese exports in the U.S. market. The U.S. has been considered as the most important trade partner of Latin America. But the growth of U.S. trade with China presents as a challenge for Latin American countries as shown in U.S. import data. The biggest growth in exports from Latin America came from Mexico which increased its share of the U.S. market to 11.5% from 1990 to 2003. Since 2000, the strong trade performance of China and Latin America's weakness have been manifested. While demand for Latin American goods decreased at 3.2% per year, Chinese exports to the U.S. increased at a rate of 11.9%.

Policymakers and analysts frame China's growing investment in Latin America and the Caribbean as new forms of South-South cooperation. This study situates China's investment treaties with Latin America in the context of South-South cooperation and measures their relative effects on China's foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region. Macro-level econometric studies on the relationship between investment treaties and FDI are inconclusive due to methodological limitations, notably, studies must account for qualitative distinctions between political and economic conditions, bilateral relations, the strength of investor rights, and the sector of FDI flows. Based on China's unique institutional characteristics, I use firm-level data and separate econometric models for public and private firms to measure the effect of China's investment treaties on China's Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI). I find that China's investment treaties with Latin America do not promote China's OFDI to the region. I conclude that for China-Latin America investment treaties to become instruments of South-South cooperation they must include commitments to bilateral and regional investment institutions. Keywords in this article include investment treaties, investment and development, South-South Cooperation, bilateral investment treaties, international political economy, trade and industrial policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluate how home-country economic agents (government, universities and research centers, and industry) affect the international competitiveness of small and medium multinational enterprises (SMNEs) of developing countries in Latin America. Drawing on a sample of 100 SMNEs of Peru, the main findings reveal that for Peruvian SMNEs, the government is a core economic agent. Competitiveness of SMNEs also depends on the relationships they have with companies operating in the same industry. Universities and research centers do not have a positive effect on the international competitiveness of SMNEs. The study both advances theory and offers practical advice [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We live in a world of nations, but also one of multi-nation systems. These systems, or transnational regions, affect global economics, politics and diplomacy. Latin America is a widely recognised and documented transnational region. It contains subregional nation systems that might have all of the characteristics and significance of regions and might also affect the broader integration of Latin America. The author defines regionality on the basis of economic integration and measures it with two methods for Latin America, North America, three Latin American subregional systems and one arbitrarily defined nation system within Latin America. He finds a high degree of integration in Latin America, the Andean nations and the Southern Cone of South America. He finds only a modest degree of integration in North America and not significantly greater integration in South America than in Latin America. The division of Latin America into subregions is consistent with the incidence of sub-regional trade initiatives in the past two decades and might be at least partly responsible for the limited progress to date towards Latin America-wide integration. Latin American subregions might now be providing a foundation on which to build regionalism in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the development on a case-by-case basis of the non-competition clauses for the Argentine Antitrust Commission in Latin America in 2009. It notes that in August 2009, a resolution was issued by the Argentine Securities and Exchange Commission to introduce the obligation of companies engaged in public offering of stock and securities. It adds that the Argentine Congress has enacted a new legislation for media and broadcast businesses.

High-quality information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure is essential for developing countries to achieve rapid economic growth. International trade and the structure of the global economy require a level of integration that is achievable only with sophisticated infrastructure. Since the early 1990s, international institutions have been pushing developing nations to deregulate and heavily invest in ICT infrastructure as a strategy for accelerating socioeconomic development. After more than a decade of continued investments, some countries have still not achieved expected outcomes. Recently, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has called for empirical research to assess the performance and impact of ICT expansion in developing countries. In this article, we respond to this call by investigating factors affecting the efficiency of ICT expansion in five emerging economies in Latin America. Our findings demonstrate that deregulation is not enough to effect efficient ICT expansion, and we argue that existing conditions (economic factors, human capital, geography, and civil infrastructure factors) must also be considered. We conclude by asserting that policy makers can more easily realize socioeconomic development via ICTs if they consider these conditions while cultivating their technology strategies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a strengthening of collective labor rights in Latin America over the last 15 years, most labor movements in the region have lost power because neither the content nor the enforcement mechanisms associated with the labor reforms fully took into consideration the challenges presented by economic restructuring. Reforms facilitating union formation did not strengthen unions but instead increased union fragmentation. Collective bargaining structures did not respond to the exigencies of international outsourcing; and the initial round of reforms in the 1990s did not contemplate the need to strengthen labor law enforcement mechanisms at a time when heightened international competition created a need for greater state vigilance of labor standards. Recent reforms or proposed reforms hold more promise for labor, but truly union-friendly labor relations regimes require deeper changes. A review of several Latin American cases is followed by a closer examination of Brazil and El Salvador. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After reviewing progress in Latin America's economic stabilization and international competitiveness in the last two decades, this essay discusses the current post-Washington Consensus "social democratic convergence" agenda, which aims to sharpen market efficiency, improve the quality of democratic governance, and advance equity goals by attacking the social deficit. Two illustrative examples, at opposite ends of the development spectrum, are Nicaragua's pro-CAFTA agenda and Chile's Chile Compete program. More generally, pluralistic democracy can hamper progress by giving veto powers to recalcitrant vested interests; but enlightened political leadership can make gains by combining carefully crafted coalitions, international support, popular pressures, and an attractive ideological message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Population & Development Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article deals with the transnational structural relationships affecting Latin American agriculture, and analyzes the transnationalization process as a function of forces operating in the world economy and in the international political context. It focuses on the internationalization of agricultural production and agroindustrial capital as manifestations of policies and trends operating in the central capitalist countries in recent years, and its impact on Latin American agriculture and agroindustrial systems. Some reflections on the process of internationalization of capital and its relation to agricultural developments observed for the region are presented.