From Stockholm to ECLAC: The ISI as a Latin American Structural Response

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46476/ra.v7i1.252

Keywords:

ISI, domestic market, economy, external constraint, linkages, terms of trade, Brazil, Peru, Argentina

Abstract

Import-substitution industrialization (ISI) was a strategy adopted in Latin America following the 1930s crisis, with mixed results across countries. This article argues that these differences can be explained by the ability to generate production linkages, while external constraints define the limits of their sustainability. The analysis is based on a comparative historical-structural approach between Brazil, Argentina, and Peru (1930–1980), using indicators of industrialization, employment, and welfare. The results show that Brazil developed deeper production linkages, which allowed it to sustain its industrialization process, while in Argentina these were incomplete and in Peru weak, limiting their effects on living standards. It is concluded that the performance of the ISI depended mainly on the capacity to generate productive linkages, conditioned by the size of the domestic market and limited by external constraints, which explains its uneven impact across the region and highlights structural differences compared to developed industrial economies.

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Author Biography

  • D. Dilas Ubaldo, National University of San Marcos

    I moved from Huaraz to Lima in 2018 to prepare for admission to the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. I began with limited academic preparation, but over time I developed a growing interest in economics and in understanding how societies function beyond surface-level explanations.

    After three years, I was admitted to the university, an experience that marked a turning point in my intellectual development. I shifted from viewing social reality in broad terms to analyzing it through the lens of institutions, rules, and incentives. My undergraduate education, together with the guidance of my professors, fostered a more critical, rigorous, and results-oriented approach to economic analysis, placing greater emphasis on structural explanations than on ideological perspectives.

    I am currently completing my pre-professional internship in the Budget Department of CORPAC, where I apply analytical tools to examine resource management within a public-sector organization. At the same time, I serve as a volunteer with the Peruvian Association of Economics Students (APEECO), where I complement my academic training through discussion and engagement with contemporary economic issues.

    Outside academia, sports—particularly tennis and strength training—have reinforced values such as discipline, perseverance, and the importance of continuous improvement, principles that also guide my professional development.

    My research interests focus on the ways institutional structures shape societal performance and influence people's quality of life. I believe that development depends not only on ideas, but also on well-designed institutions, appropriate incentives, and effective implementation. From this perspective, I see rigorous analysis as an essential contribution that researchers and professionals can make toward building more effective institutions and fostering sustainable social and economic development.

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Published

2026-07-22

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2026): General Issue

Section

Artículos

License

Copyright (c) 2026 D. Dilas Ubaldo

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

From Stockholm to ECLAC: The ISI as a Latin American Structural Response. (2026). Resv, 7(1), 57-85. https://doi.org/10.46476/ra.v7i1.252