ON THE PARAGUAYAN ECONOMY’S INTERNATIONAL POSITION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY

Abstract

The goal of this research note is to evaluate the extent to which the Paraguayan economy was externally inserted, before and after the Triple Alliance War, by looking at the composition and absolute volume of goods exported and imported by Paraguay. With this image built, a discussion was held on the country’s role in the regional and global economic value chains, and how it evolves through time, through use of the Wallersteinian conceptual framework. It is demonstrated that at no point of the 19th century can Paraguay be considered a central country regarding its international insertion and its participation in the regional value chains, according to Wallerstein’s criteria.