Abstract

CRESPO, Eduardo Alberto  and  MACHADO TARGINO, Bruna. Asymmetric economic performances in Latin America and East Asia: a comparative analysis. E&c [online]. 2019, vol.2, n.9, pp.183-198. ISSN 2477-9245.  https://doi.org/10.37228/estado_comunes.v2.n9.2019.123.

This work analyzes some factors to interpret the trajectories of Latin America and East Asia. During the 19th century, when the so-called “Great Divergence” began, Latin America had better results in terms of economic development and state centralization. Then both performances were reversed with the decolonization of Asian countries. After recovering the national autonomies, East Asia experienced strong modernization processes. Since then, the countries of the region have been recognized as examples of successful economic development, while Latin America shows relative economic stagnation. To interpret these trajectories, we perform a comparative analysis based on secondary sources, such as the bibliography that offers the main statistical indicators on trajectories and the main texts that debate the Great Divergence and contemporary evidences of Convergence. Our main conclusion is that the advantages of Latin America in the 19th century were political, since the new nations were then born as Independent States. The current advantages of East Asia are also political, due to the multiple factors mentioned in the text that influenced the formation of their States. To evaluate the scope of this work, more studies are needed on the comparative impacts of colonization and armed conflicts, especially in Latin America.

Keywords : Great Divergence; Latin America; Eastern Asia; Comparative Development; Convergence; Colonial Heritage; War..

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