Financialization and extractivism: Milei and the restructuring of private external debt in lithium mining in Argentina

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze how Javier Milei's monetary policy has significantly impacted the Argentine economy in a context of high inflation, a high level of public spending, and a high fiscal deficit, which combined a series of socio-political-economic factors that triggered the country's severe macroeconomic crisis. It also analyzes the impact that the neoliberalizing policies of Argentina's current president have had on the national mining industry, specifically on the financial performance of mining companies dedicated to extracting and processing lithium and its derived components, and how these results have been reflected in the degree of external private debt of the same sector and the Argentine central bank's balance of payments.