Quality of Life and Fragmentation in the Argentina of the Nineties

Abstract

The Argentina of the nineties is, to a great extent, the product of the peculiar form of accommodation of the local hegemonic groups that, through the different stages of economic and social history, have managed to subalternize vast “popular” sectors based on development models, generally led from central countries. The greater or lesser functionality of the “comparative advantages” and the degree of autarchy or openness of the national system with respect to the centers of power have precisely determined the definition of these stages. In this particular framework and considering a weighted combination of socioeconomic and environmental indicators, we have tried to approximate the magnitude and incidence of some differentiating factors in the living conditions of the Argentine population. The regional analysis highlights the marked difference between the opportunities offered by each territorial unit. Thus, the northern regions, historically labor-providing areas, are the epicenter of adversity, while the remaining Argentine regions appear in more favorable position. From the methodological aspect, the principal novelty of the quality of life study in 1991 is the incorporation for the first time of an environmental dimension, which will continue to be used in future indices.