From neoliberalism to neo-developmentalism? : the political economy of post-crisis Argentina, 2002-2007

In this thesis, I explore the policy responses to the financial crisis of 2001/2002 in Argentina and its implications for the Argentine political economy between 2002 and 2007. Precisely, I examine the extent and nature of the shift from neoliberalism to neo-developmentalism in Argentina between 2002 and 2007. Scholars who observed the rise of the New Left governments in Latin America argued that there was a renewal of state activism and developmentalism which implied a distinct departure from the neoliberalism of the 1990s. Argentina`s post-crisis political economy was viewed from a post-neoliberal perspective. Using the concept of new developmentalism labelled by Bresser-Pereira in 2003, I offer a more nuanced approach to post-neoliberalism in Argentina. I argue that post-neoliberal project or neo-developmentalism in Argentina does not represent a distinct departure from neoliberalism or a return to old developmentalism. Instead, it embodies a more hybrid and complex process that maintained core elements of economic liberalism. This thesis aims to contribute to the debates about post-neoliberalism and the New Left in Latin America.