On the relevance of Ruy Mauro Marini's work and the critical rescue of his thought

Abstract

This paper seeks for critically redeem and demonstrate the relevance of Ruy Mauro Marini’s thought. He was one of the main architects of the Marxist theory of dependence (MTD). We have chosen Marini because his elaboration of MTD is the most substantial and complete. The book Dialectics of dependence, which this paper analyses, comprises his main theoretical contribution. Starting with Marini's notion of value transfer mechanisms from dependent countries to industrial countries, we demonstrate the relevance of this idea. In a second moment, we describe his observation that the unavoidable corollary of the transfer of value is the overexploitation of the workforce, and then data are provided that prove its current relevance. Then we show that, as a result of the transfer of value and the super-exploitation of the labor force, dependent countries have a reduced level of capital accumulation. Another result of overexploitation is the disconnection of goods and services production from the masses needs, engendering the “need” to export. In order to guarantee markets for this “surplus”, the State in a country like Brazil should adopt an aggressive policy that, along with other contradictions, would engender the so-called sub-imperialism. The authors' critical reservations regarding this thesis are exposed here. Finally, we address his conclusion that the overcoming of dependence would only take place once a country achieve socialism. Later, he started to admit the need for an “intermediate stage”, that would have the national, democratic and social justice tasks.