Neo-developmentalism, Accumulation by Dispossession and International Rent—Argentina, 2003–2013

Abstract

After the crisis of the neoliberal project in Argentina, dominant classes were able to recreate their social hegemony under the umbrella of a new development project, which has been labelled neo-developmentalist. A new articulation of productive forces, state-form and constitution of the class conflict, led by a new hegemonic bloc dominated by the transnationalized fractions of capital, dialectically displaced neoliberal adjustment momentum in Argentina. Much in line with Rosa Luxemburg's analysis, neo-developmentalist savoir-faire tries to create the conditions for sustained capital accumulation while accepting—as a question of historical inevitability and, even, good luck—the place of Argentina as producer-exporter of primary commodities and basic manufactures of those commodities. In such context, a permanent and systematic process of “primitive accumulation,” or accumulation by dispossession to follow Harvey's terminology, becomes tantamount to the production and expanded reproduction of capital in Argentina's value-space. In this article, I discuss these processes showing how ground-rent articulates with primitive accumulation to perpetuate accelerated valorization and accumulation of capital in Argentina after 2003. First, I discuss some relevant theoretical concepts. After that, I discuss how Rosa Luxemburg's approach can be useful and enlighten the analysis of the current process of capital accumulation in Argentina. Finally, I present some brief conclusions and the bibliographical references.