“Efficiency vs. Equality ? The Political Economy of Argentine Public Health in a Transnational Context (1920s-1980s)” (working title)

From the 1920s to the 1980s, Argentina evolved from a pioneering force in public health and a prominent Keynesian welfare state in Latin America to embracing neoliberal health policies from the mid-1970s onwards, with these changes becoming more entrenched during the 1980s debt crisis and the rise of influential international financial institutions. This transition, shaped by both global economic and social trends as well as domestic factors, led to the dismantling of Argentina’s social security network and the fragmentation of its mixed welfare economy, leaving lasting impacts on its healthcare landscape.

This project examines Argentina’s evolution in public health policy within a transnational context, emphasizing its role as an early participant in international health organizations. It investigates how Argentina navigated between efficiency- and equity-driven approaches in public health across various political regimes and shifting international paradigms. Despite existing studies on Argentina's interactions with entities like the Rockefeller Foundation, the ILO and the WHO, there remains a need to understand the local political and social appropriations of international discussions as well as the role of Latin American actors in shaping global health discourse from a long-term perspective.

This study will consider not only regional and international organizations but also a diverse range of stakeholders, including health professionnals, academics, policymakers, as well as both native and immigrant workers, and the pharmaceutical industry. It will occasionnally compare Argentina with other Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, to highlight how Argentina's unique factors—such as its labor movement and immigration patterns—have influenced its public health strategies in distinct ways. Furthermore, it will explore how Argentine actors have, in turn, contributed to international and regional public health discussions such as rural health, training programmes, healthcare management and financing, as well as disease control.

The study will thus move beyond traditional narratives of U.S. or European influence versus Latin American dependency, exploring the complex interactions between global South and North actors in transnational public health debates and practices through a network analysis of various actors and institutions.