EMERGENCE AND EVOLUTION OF THE ARGENTINE STATE: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES WITH THE CENTRAL COUNTRIES

Abstract

The article analyzes the emergence and evolution of the Argentine state, specifying the particularities that set it apart from the experience of the central countries. First, the concept of the modern state and its main characteristics are discussed. Subsequently, the origin and consolidation of the state in Argentina are analyzed, followed by a presentation of the three “stages” that accompanied its evolution: oligarchic capitalism, the state-centric matrix, and destatization. It is argued that these stages cannot be assimilated into the three classical state models of central country studies: the liberal state, the Keynesian welfare state, and the post-social state. Finally, the article analyzes the stage the Argentine state is facing nowadays.