ABSTRACT
Two sets of questions of undisputed importance oriented the project of which this study is a part: on the one hand, what are the capabilities exhibited so far by various Latin American states in promoting science and technology (S&T) policies; and, on the other hand, how are these capabilities, or absence thereof, explained? Any attempt at answering such questions, particularly those of the second type, requires that they first be placed in a certain theoretical context-an operation that is always full of consequences since, among other things, it determines the specific level of analysis at which the answers are sought.
