Publication: Argentina - Economic Memorandum for the Province of Buenos Aires : Key Public Policy Issues
Date
2010-06-16
ISSN
Published
2010-06-16
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The Province of Buenos Aires has
historically been the most important of all 23 Argentine
provinces. Following Argentina's independence in 1816
and the development of the export-oriented agricultural
sector, the province's control of the nation's
biggest ports and waterways turned it into a major political
and economic power. Rapid population growth, primarily
driven by immigration, stimulated consumption, which led to
the rise of manufacturing industries in and around the main
urban centers in the province. The construction of the
railway, which by 1914 had reached 35,000 km in length, gave
Buenos Aires an additional advantage: it linked the
agricultural interior of the country to the ports located in
Buenos Aires, La Plata, and Bahia Blanca (as well as to
Rosario in Santa Fe Province). Given the central role the
Province of Buenos Aires plays in Argentina's economy,
ensuring its sustained growth and competitiveness is a key
national priority. The Province accounts for 35 percent of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), more than half of the
country's manufacturing industry and 37 percent of its
exports. Its private sector is the largest in the country,
with every third Argentine company located in the province.
The Province's schools and universities turn out a
large share of Argentina's labor force, and its roads
and ports transport the bulk of the country's domestic
goods and exports to their respective markets.
Argentina's economic success is therefore closely
linked to that of the Province of Buenos Aires. This chapter
provides a general background of the province's
economic profile, growth record and social conditions.
Citation
“World Bank. 2010. Argentina - Economic Memorandum for the Province of Buenos Aires : Key Public Policy Issues. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/18521 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”