Hostname: page-component-7b7567c8c-fvjsw Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-15T05:12:47.441Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Dependency Model of Latin American Underdevelopment: Three Basic Fallacies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

David Ray
David Ray*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California
Get accessRights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

This article attempts to examine the set of propositions loosely known as the dependency model of Latin American underdevelopment. The dependency model attributes such underdevelopment to the economic expansion of highly developed capitalist countries, particularly the United States. The model was first elaborated by Latin American economists and has subsequently acquired numerous adherents in the United States, especially among younger political scientists.

The basic premise of the dependency model is that the economic development of Latin America has been determined and limited by the needs of the dominant economies in the world capitalist market. Because they are thus conditioned and limited, the Latin American economies are described as “dependent.”

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Baran, P. (1957) The Political Economy of Growth. New York: Monthly Review Press.Google Scholar
Bernstein, M. D. (1966) Foreign Investment in Latin America. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bodenheimer, S. (1971a) “Dependency and imperialism: the roots of Latin American underdevelopment,” in Fann, K. and Hodges, D. (eds.) Readings in U.S. Imperialism. Boston: Porter Sargent.Google Scholar
Bodenheimer, S. (1971b) “The ideology of developmentalism.” Sage Professional Papers in Comparative Politics 01-015.Google Scholar
Bodington, S. (1969) “Notes on economic reforms in Czechoslovakia and the new socialism,” in Czechoslovakia and Socialism. Nottingham, Eng.: Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation.Google Scholar
Boorstein, E. (1968) The Economic Transformation of Cuba. New York: Monthly Review Press.Google Scholar
Cardoso, F. H. and Faletto, Enzo (1969) Dependencia y desarrollo en América Latina. Mexico City: Siglo XXI Editores.Google Scholar
Dedijer, V. (1971) The Battle Stalin Lost: Memoirs of Yugoslavia. New York: Viking.Google Scholar
Dos Santos, T. (1970) Dependencia económica y cambio revolucionario en América Latina. Caracas: Editorial Nueva Izquierda.Google Scholar
Dumont, R. (1970) Cuba ¿Es socialista? Caracas: Editorial Tiempo Nuevo.Google Scholar
Furtado, C. (1970) Economic Development of Latin America. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Huberman, L. and Sweezy, P. (1969) Socialism in Cuba. New York: Monthly Review Press.Google Scholar
Kindleberger, C. (1969) American Business Abroad: Six Lectures on Direct Investment. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Press.Google Scholar
Koebner, R. (1949) ‘The concept of economic imperialism.” Economic History Rev. 2: 1–29.Google Scholar
Landes, D. S. (1961) “Some thoughts on the nature of economic imperialism.” J. of Economic History 21 (December): 496–512.Google Scholar
Latinamerican Week (1971) “Fencing out foreign capital.” Volume II (July 9): 1.Google Scholar
Levy, W. (1971) “Oil power.” Foreign Affairs 49 (July): 652–668.Google Scholar
Magdoff, H. (1969) The Age of Imperialism. New York: Monthly Review Press.Google Scholar
Mandel, E. (1969) ‘The social, economic, and political background of the Czechoslovak crisis,” in Czechoslovakia and Socialism. Nottingham, Eng.: Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation.Google Scholar
Nisbet, C. (1970) “Transferring wealth from underdeveloped to developed countries via direct foreign investment: a Marxist claim reconsidered.” Southern Economic J. 37 (July): 93–96.Google Scholar
Prebisch, R. (1964) Nueva política comercial para el desarrollo. Mexico City: Fondo de Cultura Económica.Google Scholar
Petras, J. (1968) “U.S. Latin American studies: a critical assessment.” Sci. and Society (Spring).Google Scholar
Sik, O. (1965) K problematice socialistickych zboznich vztahu. Prague: Czechoslovak Academy of Science.Google Scholar
Sunkel, O. (1967) “Politica nacional de desarrollo y dependencia externa.” Revista de Estudios Internacionales (Santiago). Volume I (May).Google Scholar
Yoo, A. (1961) “A short-run measure of the relative economic contribution of direct foreign investment.” Rev. of Economics and Statistics 43 (August): 269–276.Google Scholar