INFLUENCIA DE LOS ORGANISMOS INTERNACIONALES EN LAS POLÍTICAS DE CIENCIA Y TECNOLOGÍA EN ARGENTINA. EL CASO DEL BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESARROLLO ENTRE 1979-1999

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to address the role of international organizations in shaping Argentina's science and technology (S&T) policies between 1979 and 1999, focusing on the actions of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) during this period. The research is guided by the following question: How did the Inter-American Development Bank influence the configuration of Argentina's science and technology policies through the design and implementation of the loans granted to the country between 1979 and 1999?

To this end, the thesis analyzes four loans provided by the IDB to finance various S&T programs: the Global Science and Technology Program (IDB-1) of 1979; the Scientific Research and Technology Program (IDB-2), implemented from 1988; and the Technological Modernization Programs (PMT) 1 and 2, launched in 1994 and 1999, respectively. These loans were selected because, having been designed and implemented in different political, economic, and social contexts, they reflect changes in the goals and approaches of S&T policies in Argentina, mainly within the Secretariat of Science and Technology (SECYT), responsible for policy design and planning, and the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and the National Agency for the Promotion of Science and Technology (ANPCYT), the main beneficiaries of these programs.

This thesis examines the changes in S&T public policy in Argentina, focusing on SECYT, CONICET, and ANPCYT, and the impact of the programs funded by the IDB. It emphasizes the design and implementation of S&T programs carried out through the loans received by Argentina from the IDB between 1979 and 1999. The analysis is enriched by considering different approaches to S&T promotion (supply-driven linear, demand-driven linear, and systemic models) and the types of influence and instruments that international organizations use to shape national policies. In this sense, attention is paid to how these approaches—mainly promoted by international organizations—affect the configuration of Argentina's S&T policies. Thus, the IDB, as one of the main sources of funding for S&T programs, plays a significant role in driving these changes.

The methodology is primarily qualitative, involving the analysis of primary and secondary documents as well as in-depth interviews with officials from Argentina’s S&T institutions.

The main conclusions reveal that the IDB, through the loans and technical assistance provided during the studied period, influenced the institutional changes within SECYT, CONICET, and ANPCYT. Moreover, the programs financed by the IDB loans reflect, in their goals and components, a transition between different approaches to S&T promotion. These transitions were also intertwined with the various policy agendas within the administrations of SECYT, CONICET, and ANPCYT.