Alice Amsden’s impact on Latin America

Vol. 34 No. 2 (2014)

Apr-Jun / 2014
Published April 1, 2014
PDF-English
PDF-English

How to Cite

Shapiro, Helen, and Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid. 2014. “Alice Amsden’s Impact on Latin America”. Brazilian Journal of Political Economy 34 (2):187-97. https://centrodeeconomiapolitica.org/repojs/index.php/journal/article/view/267.

Alice Amsden’s impact on Latin America

Helen Shapiro
Sociology Department, University of California Santa Cruz.
Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid
ECLAC – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Brazilian Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 34 No. 2 (2014), Apr-Jun / 2014, Pages 187-197

Abstract

On March 15 2012, we lost Professor Alice Amsden, a great intellectual power in development economics. Her work was systematically marked by creativity, originality, relevance and her fearless commitment to always speak truth to power both in academic as well as in policy-making arenas. This In Memoriam concentrates on just one part of her great intellectual legacy: her impact to better understanding Latin America´s development challenges, obstacles and policy options. Our paper focuses on three broad areas of her main influence in the region: the role of transnational corporations, the importance of manufactured exports for development, and industrial policy. As we here argue, in all of them, her work is and continues to be a substantial contribution to knowledge that policy makers will be well advised to take into account if the region is to finally enter a path of structural transformation and sustained economic and social development.

JEL Classification: O1; O12.


Keywords: industrial policy export of manufactured goods Latin America