The current relevance of Aníbal Pinto's thought in Latin America: the concept of structural heterogeneity

Abstract

The productivity gap resulting from the dualistic production structures of peripheral economies was termed structural heterogeneity by Aníbal Pinto (2000). Indeed, Pinto’s work is historically referenced in the mid--20th century, which could allow us to argue that the ideas he presented were related to the context in which they emerged. However, the author’s contributions to the concept of structural heterogeneity continue to be explored and explain the current situation in the region, allowing us to believe that this problem has not yet been overcome. This article aims to study structural heterogeneity in Latin America from 2010 to 2019 from Pinto’s perspective, as well as its current relevance. The methodology includes a qualitative theoretical and bibliographical review aimed at highlighting structural heterogeneity in an interpretative way based on Pinto’s thinking. Thus, Latin American economies underwent a significant transformation in their productive structures, with the “modern sector” par excellence — industry — which lost the most dynamism during the study period. In this case, Aníbal Pinto’s idea of structural heterogeneity helped us characterize the region, with little progress been made toward overcoming it.