El rol del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) en la re-configuración de las instituciones y políticas de fomento a la ciencia, la tecnología y la innovación de la Argentina (1993-1999)

Abstract

The article analyzes the interaction between policy development and institutions for the promotion of science, technology, and innovation (STI), and the cooperation between Argentina and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) during the 1990s. Argentina has received more support in this area than any other country from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC); it also is the main credit taker for STI from the IDB. The first part of this article briefly reviews the transformations that have taken place in terms of STI policies in LAC. The second part describes how the IDB Group is organized, and what is the relevance given to the promotion of STI in its institutional organization. Through the analysis of interviews and documents, the third part looks into the development process of the Technological Modernization Program I (generated by Argentine and the IDB's expert officials), which had a huge impact on the STI institutional fabric of Argentina. Lastly, the paper presents a number of conclusions on the role the IDB has played in the institutional development of STI policies in Argentina, especially in the development of the National Agency for Science and Technology Promotion.