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

Abstract

The degrowth debate in the North can and must be linked to debates in peripheral, dependent economies. In Argentina, the hegemony of development-oriented, pro-growth strategies has been confronted by Marxian dependency theory. MDT can fruitfully engage with the degrowth proposal in that both assume that a radical transformation of economies and policies is needed to overcome the current global capitalist crisis. MDT shows that new green development policy initiatives in the peripheries only reproduce the growth imperative and the destruction of life sustainability on a broader scale. In the tradition of Marxian dependency theory, this paper argues how degrowth in the peripheries is synonymous with decoupling. Indeed, the unbundling of dependent economies is the only path to radical social change. However, unbundling not only involves confronting current green development initiatives, but also requires the elaboration of new goals and policies. These proposals, in line with delinking and degrowth, should completely change the way our societies are organised. These initiatives must cut the ties that plunder territories and peoples on the margins, putting an end to unequal exchange and super-exploitation while creating a new form of social reproduction centred on life. In this way, the current dialogue between MDT and radical ecological and feminist traditions has the power to strengthen some of the elements put forward by degrowth literature.