The rent of the Argentine hydrocarbon sector between 2010 and 2015.

Abstract

The structure of Argentina’s energy matrix has a high hydrocarbon dependency that is defectively linked to the extractive performance of these energy sources. At the same time, during the last years the irruption of the energy crisis resulted in a specific trade deficit that caused a general imbalance in the terms of trade of the economy. In this context, the analysis of hydrocarbon income plays a paradigmatic role to unveil the logic in which capital accumulated within the sector and the behavior of the social subjects that participate in it. The purpose of this paper is to prepare a diagnosis on the performance of income associated with the extraction of oil and gas in Argentina for the period 2010-2015 and relate it to local productive dynamics. From this, a hypothesis of the primary distribution of the local hydrocarbon income during the period will also be presented, given the configuration of the value chain.