Prebisch, RaÚL

(born April 17, 1901, Tucumán, Arg.—died April 29, 1986, Las Vertientes, near Santiago, Chile) Argentine economist and statesman.

Serving in various positions in Argentine government and academia, he advised developing countries to stimulate domestic manufacturing to reduce their reliance on imports and thus their dependence on the industrialized nations. He also advocated the economic integration of Latin America to achieve economies of scale and land reform to reduce the income inequalities that impeded the growth of the domestic market. As the influential head of the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America, he addressed inequities in the trade relationships between wealthy and poor nations.