ABSTRACT
Several significant changes have occurred in the world economic and political order that have caused the economic development process in Ecuador to acquire important new characteristics. The non-existence of an Ecuadorean nation to serve as the foundation for a convincing Ecuadorean state—all of the factors impose serious obstacles for the economic, social, and political viability of the country in the near future. The continuing dependency of Ecuador's economy constitutes one important feature of the country's development process. In effect, despite all efforts to the contrary, growth in Ecuador continues to be generated from abroad to the extent that the domestic economy is still totally subordinated to external demand. It is for this reason that periods of general economic growth have coincided, first, with the banana boom, and later, with that of petroleum, while periods of stagnation generally have been accompanied by downward trends in exports.
