Held on Thursday, June 23, 2022

Lecture content

Lecturer: Koichi Usami
(Professor, Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Doshisha University)

Before World War I, Argentina prospered through exports of agricultural and livestock products to Europe, primarily Britain, and attracted many immigrants from Southern Europe. However, a large gap remained between the upper class, known as the "sociedad," and the working class. After World War II, the development of a social security system for regular workers began, almost in parallel with the formation of welfare states in developed countries. The Perón administration, a representative populist government of Latin America that came to power immediately after World War II, played a major role in the formation of this welfare state, and it is believed that the prototype of the Argentine welfare state was formed during his administration. Perón, who belonged to the right wing of the army, became the head of the Labor and Social Security Agency during the military regime, and under his leadership, the development of labor laws and social security systems began. Due to policies favoring workers, support for Perón among labor unions expanded, and with the support of the unions, he won the presidency in 1946, establishing the Perón administration. Under his administration, while industrial protection policies were implemented, the development of labor laws and social security policies progressed, and the formation of Argentina's welfare state accelerated.

Student impressions

① What was the most memorable thing about the lecture?

• What impressed me most in this lecture was the fact that Argentina's finances are not keeping pace with its social security system. Until now, I had the image that Argentina had a comprehensive social security system and that people lived prosperous lives, so I was surprised to learn that its finances are not keeping up with social security. I had only ever thought that it was a good thing that all citizens could receive social security. However, I felt conflicted when I learned that this is one of the reasons why Argentina's finances cannot keep up with its social security system and why it often experiences financial collapse. Also, it was a very good opportunity to learn why Argentina has such a comprehensive social security system.
• What impressed me most about this lecture was the discussion on improving labor laws.
  With the improvement of labor laws and the establishment of severance pay, regular employees have established stable employment relationships, and the risk of being laid off has become considerably lower.
  However, I suspect that the introduction of severance pay has made it more difficult for newcomers to enter the labor market, leading to an increase in youth unemployment and the informal sector. I felt that while this labor law was beneficial for regular employees, it could potentially be detrimental to those who are not in regular employment.
• This lecture was very valuable, as it provided me with many new insights into global issues. While the SDGs are currently being widely discussed as global problems, I realized that each country faces even greater challenges.
  I felt that Argentina, with its high agricultural self-sufficiency and oil resources, has the potential for growth similar to countries like Australia. I thought that in order to further capitalize on this wealth, it must solve its domestic problems. Economic development does not necessarily mean that every citizen becomes wealthier, and I realized that a social system must be adopted that runs parallel to development. I thought that a re-examination from the perspectives of sociology and social welfare, as well as approaches from the perspectives of international relations and history, would be necessary.
  I wanted to learn about the international situation in other countries and also learn about the similarities and differences between Japan and other countries from the perspective of coexistence.
• The most memorable part of this lecture, though it's slightly unrelated to the content, was the slides showing a class at an Argentinian university. I was very surprised to hear that most of the students were of European descent, and that when a Japanese person studied there, they were the only Asian. I looked into this a bit and learned that immigration policies since 1861 played a significant role, which is why Argentina is a country of immigrants, with Italians and Spaniards making up 97% of the population.
• I was struck by the fact that Argentina, despite being a country with a strong agricultural sector, is unable to distribute food to the poor within the country. Generally speaking, countries tend to have their citizens consume the food they produce, so I felt it was contradictory that a country strong in agriculture could not distribute food to the poor. Also, unlike Africa, Argentina has a high GDP per capita and is unable to receive aid, which made me feel that the system is not functioning well, even though aid is meant to alleviate poverty. I saw differences between the problems that Japan and Argentina are facing, and it made me think about the difficulty of having to think about issues differently from the usual problems in Japan.

② Please write freely about what you thought after listening to the lecture.

• It was a little difficult to understand, but I became interested in the part about Japan becoming like Argentina that was mentioned at the end. I learned that Argentina's population hasn't decreased like Japan's, but it has a budget deficit and severe inequality among its people. Japan is also living on the edge right now, but who knows what it will be like in 30 or 40 years.
  I feel that my own life is in danger, and I want to start exploring what I can do to help.
• When considering the reasons for Argentina's decline, I believe populism was the cause, but I also considered that there may have been various other factors. The root cause was the liberalization of capital and imports. These increased foreign debt, which rose to $45 billion. This was done by the military regime. Upon investigation, I found that the military regime attempted to solve the problem by suppressing labor unions and using bribes to host the World Cup in Argentina, but these failed. It became clear that the military regime was responsible for destroying what Juan Perón had built.
• I only knew where Argentina was located, but through this performance, I learned about the kind of government support it has received over the years. I was also surprised to learn that Argentina was once a fascist country. Furthermore, I felt that Argentina's national philosophy, in terms of familism and the principle of subsidiarity, is very similar to Japan's. I was also surprised to learn that some years ago, there were people who were concerned about Japan becoming like Argentina. Japan's economy is facing difficulties, with its GDP being overtaken by China. If Japan is to escape its current situation, I thought that perhaps looking to Argentina, which is in a similar situation, might provide some solutions.
• I believe that the reason Argentina, despite experiencing numerous political collapses and economic crises, hasn't seen its people starve is because it's a relatively large country with abundant resources. I thought that if Japan were to fall into a similar situation, it would be extremely difficult to recover. From an economic perspective, I thought it was important to ensure the domestic and regional circulation of supply and demand. I thought that a relatively stable foundation could be built by continuously updating markets and technological developments.
• I learned that there are many different forms of politics around the world, things I was simply unaware of. There was a lot I should know as Faculty of Economics, and it was all content I needed to learn. I believe that comparing Japan with the rest of the world will lead to new discoveries, so I want to continue learning.