Paul U. Prebisch

1901-1986

Paul U. Prebisch was an Argentinean economist. Adviser on economics to the Argentine government and secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). He has argued that the terms of trade shift against primary producers in developing countries and that they should introduce tariffs to protect their infant industries. In development economics this thesis has become known as the ‘Singer Prebisch hypothesis’