Hispanic American Historical Review · 1980 · 86 citations · 0 references
Social SciencesDevelopment StudiesEconomicsDevelopment EconomicsPolitical Economy Of DevelopmentRegional DevelopmentEconomic InterdependenceIndependent DevelopmentRegional Development PolicyRegional Economic DevelopmentState RelationsTransnational CorporationsEconomic Dependency TheoryExperience-dependent DevelopmentForeign AlliancesInternational Development AlliancesInterrelationship Of Development AgreementsLocal LinkagesLocal Social CapitalStructural Dependence
Brazil’s evolution over the past twenty years has moved from classic dependence to a stage of dependent development. The study analyzes Brazil’s recent capital accumulation by examining relationships among multinational corporations, local private entrepreneurs, and state‑owned enterprises over the last decade. The author reviews theories of imperialism and dependency in the third world to frame the analysis. He finds that a contradictory triple alliance among multinationals, local entrepreneurs, and state enterprises has emerged, structuring Brazil’s local industrialization, differentiating roles across sectors such as pharmaceuticals, textiles, and petrochemicals, and benefiting the elite partnership while excluding the broader population, with implications for other third‑world countries.
In order to analyze Brazil's recent accumulation of capital in the light of its continued dependence, Peter Evans focuses on the relationships among multinational corporations, local private entrepreneurs, and state-owned enterprises that have developed in Brazil over the last decade. He argues that while relations among the three kinds of capital continue to be contradictory, a triple alliance has been formed that provides the social structural basis for the pattern of local industrialization that has emerged. The author begins with a review of the theories of imperialism and dependency in the third world. Placing the Brazilian experience of the last twenty years in its historical context, he traces the country's evolution from the period of classic dependence at the turn of the century to the current stage of dependent development. In conclusion, Professor Evans discusses the implications of the Brazilian model for other third world countries. Examining the nature of the triple alliance as it is manifested in such industries as pharmaceuticals, textiles, and petrochemicals, the author reveals the complex differentiation of the groups' roles in industrialization and lays bare the grounds for their collaboration and their conflict. He consequently shows how the differing interests, power, and capabilities of the three groups have combined to produce a system promoting industrialization that benefits the elite partnership but excludes the larger population from the rewards of growth.