Abstract

KURZ, Robert. As luzes do mercado se apagam: as falsas promessas do neoliberalismo ao término de um século em crise. Estud. av. [online]. 1993, vol.7, n.18, pp. 7-41. ISSN 0103-4014.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-40141993000200002.

With the end of state socialism in Europe, neoliberalism is presented as an universal solution, but it can not resolve many practical problems and its "miracles" are very problematic, because of low salaries, asymmetrical exchanges, artificial credits and ecological destruction. Its theory can not elaborate the structural contradictions of capitalism. Economy is internationalised, it is growing up a general crisis. The United States can not be again the locomotive of international economy, because its private debt has duplicated in the last 10 years and reacches in average $70.000 per family and export can just be maintained with the devaluation of the dollar. Japan and Germany have developed through artificial credits, without a proportional increase in production. The latin-american countries could not increase their participation in the international market like the asiatic tigers, but those can not serve them as models: Brazil is not like Corea, has not a very developed neighbour like Japan, has a bigger population and a potentially great internal market. The theories of dependence have insisted on the asymmetrical exchanges, but have not considered enough the intrinsical contradictions and limits of capitalism. So, many dependentists are now defending the theories and practice of neoliberalism. Nowadays it is difficult to think an alternative model to the dominant neoliberalism, but its failure makes it necessary.