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Desarro. soc. | eISSN 1900-7760 | ISSN 0120-3584

Consensus, dissensus, and ideology: The case of economists in Uruguay

No. 94 (2023-07-19)
  • Verónica Amarante
  • Marisa Bucheli
  • Maria Cecilia Lara Martínez
    Universidad de la República

Abstract

This article studies the consensus among economists in Uruguay regarding a
set of economic propositions. The findings indicate that the levels of consensus in Uruguay are comparatively lower than in other countries, although the
levels of dissensus are also lower, resulting in a modest level of agreement
overall. The propositions related to discrimination and, to a lesser extent, environmental issues demonstrate the highest levels of agreement. There is also
consensus regarding the desire to improve income equality and the recognition
of the State’s importance in achieving this goal. However, there is no consensus regarding specific redistributive tools. Based on clustering and multiple
correspondence analysis, we identify two distinct groups according to their
support for different economic propositions. The probability of belonging to
these groups is strongly associated with individual ideological positions, which
are often influenced by the ideology of one’s parents.

Keywords: Ideology, Economics, Latin America

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