The Life and Times of Raúl Prebisch, 1901-1986

Book excerpt: Raúl Prebisch was a leader in economic development theory and international economic policy, an institution builder, and an international diplomat. The Life and Times of Raúl Prebisch provides the first book-length account of his life and work, a story cast against the backdrop of Latin America, the Cold War, the rise of the United Nations, and the struggle for equity between first and third worlds. A wunderkind, Prebisch occupied key positions at the Argentine ministry of finance in his twenties and was the general manager of the Argentine Central Bank before forty. Exiled by Juan Perón after World War II, he became arguably the most influential Latin American official at the UN, heading such international organizations as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.