¿Which Integration for what kind of development? Reflections based on the Paraná- Paraguay Waterway case

Abstract

The recent debates about the Paraná- Paraguay Waterway due to the expiration of the concession in Argentina, are part of the discussions about the regional integration process and different views about development. In this article we analyze some of the most relevant dimensions among the case of the Argentinian river corridor that dialogue with previous doctoral research work in the framework of recent regional integration, in a multiscale focus. By understanding the multiple dimensions that integration processes have, we place the actions that were historically inserting the region of the River Plate basin in global dynamics of capital concentration and extraction of strategic resources, with impacts in territories and productive activities. We ask about the possibilities that arise for the Argentinian State in the present, characterized by important transitions and restructuring of the international scene marked by the Chinese presence and the decline of the United States of America.