The ideas of young Prebisch

Prebisch arrived at ecla for the first time in 1949, to write a report in which he set out his views on the main problems then facing the economic development of Latin America (Prebisch, 1949). As he had been hired as an outside consultant, he did not receive the support of other members of the institution in its preparation, nor did he have much time at his disposal, so that the report was a reflection of the ideas he already held prior to joining ECLA. As the content of that work made a great impact on academic and political circles in the region and came to be considered one of the basic pillars of structuralist thinking, it has often been wondered when and why Prebisch incorporated those ideas into his thinking.