Search for Articles:
Journal:
Subject:
MOSP / Journal / Journal of International Economy and Global Governance

Journal Menu

Home
Aims & Scope
Editorial Board
For Authors
Ethics & Policies
APC & Subscription
Editorial Office

Journal Browser

Vol.2 (2025) Iss. 1 / 2
Vol.1 (2024) Iss. 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

Table of Contents

Abstract
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
License
Open Access
文章

Research on the Atlas Network and Argentina’s Economic Policy: The Logic Behind Milei Government’s Reform Bill

Chengchen Li1, Yimin Zhu2,*

1 Institute of International Relations, China Foreign Affairs University, Beijing, China
2 School of International Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
* Correspondence: Yimin Zhu, E-mail: cgxxzym51@163.com
 
J. Int. Eco. Glo. Gov., 2025, 2(2), 4-21; https://doi.org/10.12414/jiegg.250449
Received : 08 Dec 2024 / Revised : 17 Feb 2025 / Accepted : 25 Feb 2025 / Published : 25 Mar 2025
© The Author(s). Published by MOSP. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.
Download
Cite
Abstract
 
This study investigates the pivotal role of the Atlas Network, a global free-market advocacy organization, in shaping Argentina’s economic reforms under President Javier Milei. While existing scholarship has focused on the structural and social impacts of Milei’s “Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentinians,” this research offers a novel contribution by uncovering the transnational ideological mechanisms through which external actors influence domestic policymaking. By integrating Austrian School economic principles with the Atlas Network’s financial and political strategies, this study reveals how the Atlas network embedded its neoliberal agenda into Argentina’s reform bill via local think tanks, policy lobbying, and direct political alignment with Milei. Theoretically, this study enriches the discourse on transnational advocacy networks (TANs) by demonstrating how non-state actors exploit ideological and financial leverage to reshape national economic sovereignty. Practically, the risks of overreliance on external capital-driven reforms become particularly pronounced when such policy frameworks are operationalized within developing economies characterized by structural inequalities. The findings underscore the tension between global neoliberal agendas and localized socioeconomic needs, offering critical insights for policymakers navigating similar challenges in an era of increasing economic globalization.
 
Keywords: Atlas Network, Reform Bill, Argentina, Milei, Austrian School
 
Download the full text PDF for viewing and using it according to the license of this paper.

Funding

    This research is a research outcome of the 2023 China Foreign Affairs University Graduate Research Innovation Project (Type B) “Research on Factors Affecting Latin American Sub-regional Security Cooperation Mechanisms from Non-traditional Security Perspective”.

Conflicts of Interest:

    The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report regarding the present study.

References

  1. Zhang Xinyu. (2023). Uncertainties Under Argentina’s Trump-like President Milei. World Affairs, No. 24, 49-51.
  2. Rutger Brattström. (2024, October 24). Javier Milei's Economic Reforms Are Already Paying Off in Argentina. Reason. https://reason.com/2024/10/24/javier-mileis-economic-reforms-are-already-paying-off-in-argentina/.
  3. News Wires. (2024, June 28). Argentina's parliament approves President Milei's austerity-heavy reform package. France 24. https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240628-argentina-s-parliament-approves-president-milei-s-austerity-heavy-reform-package.
  4. Agence France Presse. (2024, July 8). Milei's Economic Reforms Take Effect In Argentina. Barrons. https://www.barrons.com/news/milei-s-economic-reforms-take-effect-in-argentina-436e92dc.
  5. Veronica Smink. (2024, June 13). 4 grandes cambios que contempla la Ley Bases, la primera legislación que Milei logró aprobar en el Congreso de Argentina (y el regreso del impuesto a las ganancias). BBC News Mundo. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/clmmv7m4pvko.
  6. Mar Centenera. (2024, June 13). Los puntos clave de la Ley Bases: superpoderes para Milei, desguace del Estado, flexibilización laboral y beneficios para grandes empresas. El País, https://elpais.com/argentina/2024-06-13/los-puntos-clave-de-la-ley-bases-superpoderes-para-milei-desguace-del-estado-flexibilizacion-laboral-y-beneficios-para-grandes-empresas.html.
  7. Frank Holmes. (2024, May 10). Argentina President Milei’s Bold Economic Reforms Should Be A Model To The Rest Of The World. US Funds. https://www.usfunds.com/resource/argentina-president-mileis-bold-economic-reforms-should-be-a-model-to-the-rest-of-the-world/.
  8. Veronica Smink. (2023, December 27). En qué consiste la polémica ‘ley ómnibus’ de Milei que se vota en el Congreso de Argentina y que ha desatado violentas protestas. BBC News Mundo, https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/c51zlz63lp3o.
  9. Ruth Green. (2024, July 30). Milei’s radical reforms risk rolling back labour rights and rule of law in Argentina. International Bar Association. https://www.ibanet.org/mileis-radical-reforms-risk-rolling-back-labour-rights-and-rule-of-law-in-argentina.
  10. Jaroslav Lukiv & George Wright. (2024, June 13). Buenos Aires rocked by clashes over Milei reforms. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c255zdlde92o.
  11. Brad Lips. (2023, December 7). Javier Milei’s rise in Argentina carries a valuable lesson for Americans. Atlas Network. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/articles/javier-mileis-rise-in-argentina.
  12. Colleen Dyble. (2008). Ed. Taming Leviathan: Waging the War of Ideas around the World, London: Institute of Economic Affairs.
  13. Srdjan Vucetic. (2024). Atlas asunder? Neo-liberal think tanks and the radical right. International Affairs, Vol.100, No.5, 2173–2193.
  14. James G. McGann. (2020). Global Go to Think Tank Index Report. TTCSP Global Go To Think Tank Index Reports. https://www.bruegel.org/sites/default/files/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020-Global-Go-To-Think-Tank-Index-Report-Bruegel.pdf.
  15. Atlas Network. (2023, October 14). Increasing Intellectual Capacity & Depth in Asia to Enable More Adoption of Policy Reforms that Work. Atlas Network. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/articles/increasing-intellectual-capacity-depth-in-asia.
  16. MacLean, N. (2017). Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, New York: Penguin.
  17. Julia Smith, Sheryl Thompson and Kelley Lee. (2017). The atlas network: a “strategic ally” of the tobacco industry. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Vol. 32, 433-448.
  18. Clifford Bob. (2005). The Marketing of Rebellion: Insurgents, Media and International Activism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 18-22.
  19. Clifford Bob. (2011). Introduction: Fighting for New Rights. in The International Struggle for New Human Rights, Clifford Bob edited, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 6-10.
  20. R. Charli Carpenter. (2011). Vetting the Advocacy Agenda: Network Centrality and the Paradox of Weapons Norms, International Organization, Vol. 65, No. 1, 69-102.
  21. Peter M. Haas. (1992). Epistemic Communities and International Policy Coordination, International Organization, Vol. 46, No. 1, 1-35.
  22. Karin Fischer. (2018, July 9). The Atlas Network: Littering the World with Free-Market Think Tanks. Global Dialogue. https://globaldialogue.isa-sociology.org/articles/the-atlas-network-littering-the-world-with-free-market-think-tanks.
  23. Charles Tilly. (2004). Social Movements, 1768-2004, London: Paradigm Publishers, 3-9.
  24. Greenpeace. (2017). Atlas Network Koch Industries Climate Denial Front Group. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/fighting-climate-chaos/climate-deniers/front-groups/atlas-economic-research-foundation/.
  25. Amy Westervelt and Geoff Dembicki. (2023, September 12). Meet the Shadowy Global Network of Right-Wing Think Tanks. The New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/175488/atlas-shadowy-global-network-right-wing-think-tanks.
  26. Walker, J. (2023). Silencing the Voice: The Fossil-fuelled Atlas Network’s Campaign against Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australia, Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 2, 105-125.
  27. Aram Aharonian and Álvaro Verzi Rangel. (2018, August 29). Atlas Network, the right-wing libertarians. People dispatch. https://peoplesdispatch.org/2018/08/29/atlas-network-the-right-wing-libertarians/.
  28. CEPAL. (2021). Balance Preliminar de las Economías de América Latina y el Caribe 2020. https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/46501-balance-preliminar-economias-america-latina-caribe-2020.
  29. CEPAL. (2023). Balance Preliminar de las Economías de América Latina y el Caribe 2023. https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/68747-balance-preliminar-economias-america-latina-caribe-2023.
  30. Ludwig von Mises. (2013). The Theory of Money and Credit, New York: Skyhorse Publishing.
  31. Wei Sen. (2021). Austrian Theory of Money and Business Cycles. Journal of History of Economic Thought. No. 1, 97-123.
  32. Friedrich August Hayek. (2008). Prices and Production and Other Works On Money, the Business Cycle, and the Gold Standard, Auburn: Ludwig von Mises Institute.
  33. Li Lili. (2021, July). Money and Business Cycle: Hyman Minsky and the Austrian School. Academic Monthly. 67-77.
  34. Friedrich August Hayek. (1999). On Being an Economist. in the What Do Economists Contribute?, edited by Daniel B. Klein, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 133-149.
  35. Michael N. Peterson. (2024, November 7). Javier Milei’s “shock therapy” is working. The Daily Economy. https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/javier-mileis-shock-therapy-is-working/.
  36. Boletín Oficial de Argentina. (2024, July 8). Ley 27742: la Ley Bases y Puntos de Partida para la Libertad de los Argentinos. https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/310189/20240708.
  37. ARCA Novedades. (2024, July 24). Monotributo: El Poder Ejecutivo Nacional estableció adecuaciones a través del Decreto 661/2024. https://servicioscf.afip.gob.ar/publico/sitio/contenido/novedad/ver.aspx?id=4088.
  38. George Monbiot. (2024, January 6). What links Rishi Sunak, Javier Milei and Donald Trump? The shadowy network behind their policies. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/06/rishi-sunak-javier-milei-donald-trump-atlas-network.
  39. Axel Kaiser. (2021, September 18). El fenómeno Milei. Fundación para el Progreso. https://fppchile.org/el-fenomeno-milei/.
  40. Araldi, L. (2022, August 18). Argentina’s right wing think tanks and the building of a new version of Bolsonaro. Think-tank Network Research Blog. http://thinktanknetworkresearch.net/blog_ttni_en/argentinas-right-wing-think-tanks-and-the-building-of-a-new-version-of-bolsonaro/.
  41. Atlas Network. (2018, May 15). Fundación Libertad Commemorates 30 years in defense of democracy in Argentina. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/articles/fundacion-libertad-commemorates-30-years-in-defense-of-democracy-in-argentina.
  42. Multinational Observatory. (2024, May 30). The Koch-funded Atlas Network is also targeting Europe. https://multinationales.org/en/investigations/the-atlas-network-france-and-the-eu/.
  43. Atlas Network. (2024). Amidst Turmoil In Argentina, Tax Reformers Spearhead Change. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/stories/amidst-turmoil-in-argentina.
  44. Atlas Network. (2024). Freedom’s Champion: Will Argentina Achieve a Freer Future?
  45. Atlas Network. (2024, March 22). Asociación Argentina de Contribuyentes wins Atlas Network’s 2024 Latin America Liberty Award. https://www.atlasnetwork.org/articles/aac-wins-2024.
  46. Atlas Network. (2023, December 31). Annual Impact Report 2023. https://admin.atlasnetwork.org/assets/documents/financials/AtNet-2023AnnualReport_Online.pdf.
  47. Atlas Network. (2022, December 31). Annual Impact Report 2022. https://admin.atlasnetwork.org/assets/documents/financials/AtNet-2022AnnualReport.pdf.
  48. Atlas Network. (2021, December 31). Annual Impact Report 2021. https://admin.atlasnetwork.org/assets/documents/financials/AtNet-2021AnnualReport_Digital_sprd.pdf.
  49. Atlas Network. (2020, December 31). Annual Impact Report 2020. https://admin.atlasnetwork.org/assets/documents/financials/AR_2020_Spreads_2021-08-19-155008_byqa.pdf.
  50. Lucas Araldi. (2023, August 22). The Atlas Network and the Building of Argentina’s Donald Trump. Desmog. https://www.desmog.com/2023/08/22/javier-milei-argentina-atlas-network/.
  51. Marie Laure Djelic and Reza Mousavi. (2020). How the Neoliberal Think Tank Went Global: The Atlas Network, 1981 to the Present. in Nine Lives of Neoliberalism, eds., by Plehwe Dieter, Slobodian Quinn, Mirowski Philip, London and New York: Verso, 257-282.
  52. Juan López Páez. (2023, April 27). La cabeza de hidra del neoliberalismo: Atlas Network y la red de think tanks en Latinoamérica y España. El Común. https://elcomun.es/2023/04/27/la-cabeza-de-hidra-del-neoliberalismo-atlas-network-y-la-red-de-think-tanks-en-latinoamerica-y-espana/.
  53. El Cronista. (2024, June 3). Mondino y Petri, en el think-tank de habla hispana más prestigioso de política exterior. https://www.cronista.com/economia-politica/mondino-y-petri-en-la-cena-del-cari-el-think-tank-de-habla-hispana-mas-prestigioso-de-politica-exterior/.
  54. Ivy Cángaro. (2023, October 29). Quiénes están detrás de la fundación que más influye sobre las principales usinas de la derecha argentina. Data Clave. https://www.dataclave.com.ar/poder/quienes-estan-detras-de-la-fundacion-que-mas-influye-sobre-las-principales-usinas-de-la-derecha-argentina_a653dba21947a68be06836555.
  55. Gustavo Ybarra. (2024, June 13). En una votación electrizante, Victoria Villarruel debió desempatar y el oficialismo logró aprobar la Ley Bases. La Nación. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/ley-bases-en-una-votacion-electrizante-debio-desempatar-villarruel-y-el-oficialismo-logro-aprobar-en-nid12062024/.
  56. Déborah de Urieta. (2023, November 19). El desafío de Milei en el Congreso: cuántos diputados y senadores tendrán los libertarios. El Cronista. https://www.cronista.com/economia-politica/nuevo-gobierno-el-desafio-de-milei-en-el-congreso-cuantos-diputados-y-senadores-tendran-los-libertarios/.
  57. Infobae. (2014, May 9). El nepotismo, una plaga sin freno en la política argentina. https://www.infobae.com/2014/05/09/1563127-el-nepotismo-una-plaga-freno-la-politica-argentina/.
  58. Claudia Peiró. (2023, June 3). Dinastías en la política argentina: cuando la voluntad de perdurar deriva en formas de nepotismo. Infobae. https://www.infobae.com/politica/2023/06/04/dinastias-en-la-politica-argentina-cuando-la-voluntad-de-perdurar-deriva-en-formas-de-nepotismo/.
  59. Aram Aharonian. (2024, May 30). El terraplanismo, la Red Atlas y Javier Milei. Rebelión. https://rebelion.org/el-terraplanismo-la-red-atlas-y-javier-milei/.
  60. BBC Mundo. (2024, September 27). La pobreza en Argentina alcanza el 52,9% en el primer semestre de 2024, un aumento de 11 puntos desde que asumió Javier Milei. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cvglwrg1rnpo.
© The Author(s). Published by MOSP. 
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

Li, C.; Zhu, Y. Research on the Atlas Network and Argentina’s Economic Policy: The Logic Behind Milei Government’s Reform Bill. Journal of International Economy and Global Governance 2025, 2 (2), 4-21. https://doi.org/10.12414/jiegg.250449.

Subscribe Your Manuscript
Branches
HanLin Group
澳科中文官网
Book Center
Patent Center
Services
For Authors
Book Builder
Projects
Young Mind
Beyond Expo.
About us
MOSP Team
MOAJ Team
Blog & News
Partnership
Careers
Contact
© 2021-2023 Macao Scientific Publishers ( Macao, P.R. China )
www.mospbs.com