Dependency, delinking, and degrowth in a new developmental era. Debates from Argentina

FÉLIZ, MARIANO

De Gruyter Handbook of Degrowth: Propositions and Prospects

De Gruyer

Año: 2024; p. 327 - 338

The degrowth debate in the North can and mustbe linked to debates in peripheral, dependent economies. In Argentina, thehegemony of development-oriented, pro-growth strategies has been confronted byMarxian dependency theory (MDT). MDT can fruitfully engage with the degrowthproposal in that both assume that a radical transformation of economies andpolicies is needed to overcome the current global capitalist crisis. MDT showsthat new green development policy initiatives in the peripheries only reproducethe growth imperative and the destruction of life sustainability on a broaderscale.In the tradition of Marxist dependency theory,this paper argues how degrowth in the peripheries is synonymous withdecoupling. Indeed, the unbundling of dependent economies is the only path toradical social change. However, unbundling not only involves confrontingcurrent green development initiatives, but also requires the elaboration of newgoals and policies. These proposals, in line with delinking and degrowth,should completely change the way our societies are organized. These initiativesmust cut the ties that plunder territories and peoples on the margins, puttingan end to unequal exchange and super-exploitation while creating a new form ofsocial reproduction centered on life. In this way, the current dialog betweenMDT and radical ecological and feminist traditions has the power to strengthensome of the elements put forward by degrowth literature.@font-face{font-family:"Cambria Math";panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:roman;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face{font-family:Calibri;panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:swiss;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073697537 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal{mso-style-unhide:no;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";margin:0cm;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-font-kerning:1.0pt;mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}.MsoChpDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;mso-default-props:yes;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-ansi-language:ES-TRAD;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}div.WordSection1{page:WordSection1;}