Varieties and Crises of Neoliberal Globalisation: Argentina, Turkey and the IMF

In: Third world quarterly: journal of emerging areas, Band 27, Heft 2, S. 239-263

Abstract

Argentina & Turkey are two important 'emerging market countries' that experienced a major economic crisis during the same year. Focusing on the period leading up to the respective 2001 crises in the two countries, this article attempts to place the two experiments in historical perspective & provide an understanding of the common elements as well as the diversity of the neoliberal restructuring process in semi-peripheral settings. The article also attempts to identify some of the key mistakes made by the imf, which was, in part, responsible for the crises experienced. A central conclusion is that 'new' or unconsolidated democracies find themselves particularly vulnerable when they are suddenly & prematurely exposed to financial & capital account liberalisation. The outcome is a highly fragile, debt-led growth path with costly consequences. Indeed, although both countries have managed to accomplish impressive recoveries in the post-crisis period, given their past trajectories & the heavy debt burden that they face, it is too early to say that the recovery process will be translated into sustained & crisis-free growth. The regional environment in which the two countries find themselves might be particularly important in this context, with the powerful EU anchor a possible important advantage in the Turkish context. Tables. Adapted from the source document.