Aldo Ferrer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aldo Ferrer
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| Ambassador of Argentina to France | |
| In office February 3, 2011 – April 18, 2013 |
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| President | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner |
| Preceded by | Luis Ureta Sáenz Peña |
| Succeeded by | María del Carmen Squeff |
| President of the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires | |
| In office December 22, 1983 – December 18, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Arnaldo Cisilino |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Amadeo |
| Minister of Economy of Argentina | |
| In office October 26, 1970 – May 28, 1971 |
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| President | Roberto Levingston |
| Preceded by | Carlos Moyano Llerena |
| Succeeded by | Juan Quillici |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 15, 1927 Buenos Aires |
| Died | March 8, 2016 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Political party | Radical Civic Union |
| Alma mater | University of Buenos Aires |
| Signature |  |
Aldo Ferrer (born April 15, 1927 – died March 8, 2016) was an important Argentine economist. He believed that a country should focus on making its own products and supporting its own businesses. This idea is called economic nationalism.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Aldo Ferrer was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1927. He went to the University of Buenos Aires to study economics. In 1953, he earned his doctorate degree.
While he was still a student, he worked as an adviser for the United Nations. His main project was his doctoral paper, called The State and Economic Development. In this paper, he argued that countries should protect their own industries. This means making it harder for foreign products to compete with local ones. This idea is known as protectionism.
Starting in Politics
In 1956, Ferrer became an economic expert at the Argentine Embassy in London. A year later, in 1957, he helped start the Argentine Association of Political Economy.
In 1958, a political party called the UCRI won the elections. The new Governor of the Buenos Aires Province, Oscar Alende, chose Ferrer to be his Minister of Economy. In this role, Ferrer worked to increase spending on important projects. These included building roads and improving systems to prevent floods.
Ferrer's work in Buenos Aires Province made him well-known across Argentina. However, when President Arturo Frondizi was forced to resign in 1962, Ferrer also left his government position.
Working as a Professor
After leaving politics, Ferrer went back to teaching. He became a Professor of Economics at the National University of La Plata and the University of Buenos Aires.
He also wrote a new version of a famous textbook called The Argentine Economy. This book was even translated into English. In 1967, he was asked to join a committee for the "Alliance for Progress". This was a program started by U.S. President John F. Kennedy to help Latin American countries. Ferrer also helped create the Latin American Social Science Council (CLACSO), an organization that advises UNESCO.
Minister of Economy of Argentina
In 1970, Argentina was facing political problems. General Roberto M. Levingston became the new president. He appointed Aldo Ferrer as the head of the new Ministry of Production. Ferrer became the main person in charge of economic policy.
Ferrer introduced new plans to help Argentine industries. He made rules that cars and other big products had to use more parts made in Argentina. He also created a bank to help small businesses. He worked to give more rights to Argentine workers, who were already well-paid and organized. Ferrer became very popular for his ads that encouraged people to Compre Nacional! which means "Buy Domestic!" or "Buy Local!"
Argentina's economy started to grow again in late 1970 and early 1971. In September, Ferrer presented President Levingston with a five-year plan for the economy. This plan was meant to make his new ideas last longer. Because of this, Ferrer was made the full Minister of the Economy in October.
However, President Levingston had his own political ideas that caused problems. He was replaced by General Alejandro Lanusse in March 1971. Ferrer stayed on as Minister for a short time. He tried to stop farmers from holding back their products or not producing enough, which caused food shortages. Powerful groups representing beef and grain farmers did not like this. They formed a group called the United Farmland Movement (MCU). These groups put pressure on the government, and Ferrer was removed from his job in May.
Later Career and Global Views
After leaving his government role, Ferrer went back to teaching and working with CLACSO. He wrote books about economic history, like The Postwar (1982) and Living Within Our Means (1983). In these books, he suggested that Argentina should rely less on money from other countries.
In 1983, Argentina held elections after a period of military rule. Raúl Alfonsín became president. He appointed Ferrer as the President of the Bank of the Province of Buenos Aires. This was the second-largest bank in Argentina. However, people didn't trust the Argentine banking system much. Also, Ferrer had different ideas from Alfonsín's other economic advisers. Because of these reasons, Ferrer resigned in 1987.
Ferrer often wrote for Clarín, a major newspaper in Argentina. He became known for speaking out against globalization. He believed that globalization had many problems. He wrote about his ideas in books like A History of Globalization (1996) and From Columbus to the Internet: Globalization in Latin America (2000). In 2000, he also started a group of economists called Grupo Fénix.
In 2003, Néstor Kirchner became president of Argentina. His government started to get more involved in the Argentine economy. In 2004, a public energy company called Enarsa was created to produce more oil and gas. This was to prevent electricity shortages. Ferrer was appointed to Enarsa's Board of Directors in 2006.
In 2008, Ferrer became the editor-in-chief of Buenos Aires Económico, a daily newspaper about business. In December 2010, President Cristina Kirchner appointed him as the Ambassador to France. Ferrer was well-liked by the embassy staff and Argentines living in France. He was known for hosting many events and discussions with economists. In April 2013, he resigned from his role as ambassador due to health reasons and to be closer to his family. He passed away on March 8, 2016.
See also
In Spanish: Aldo Ferrer para niños
