Cuando el método redefine el problema: identificación causal y límites del análisis del desarrollo en América Latina[When Method Redefines the Problem: Causal Identification and the Limits of Development Analysis in Latin America]

This article examines how economic literature has addressed the structural problems of development in Latin America in the context of the consolidation of empirical evidence standards centered on internal validity and causal identification. Drawing on a systematic review, the study analyzes how these orientations have shaped the formulation of research problems, the delimitation of empirically tractable phenomena, and the treatment of issues such as result generalization and external validity. The findings indicate that, while these advances substantially increased the empirical rigor of applied research, they also fostered an analytical fragmentation of structural development processes, displacing integrated long-term explanations. The article discusses the implications of this shift and underscores the need for pluralist approaches that are sensitive to institutional context in the analysis of Latin American development.