Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2018
Since the 1950s, the development strategy of Paraguay has relied on export-led growth. To accomplish this the government placed great emphasis on price and exchange rate stability, first achieved in the late 1950s. Counting on limited resources, the country attempted to attract foreign investment while its own investment programs were directed primarily toward increasing domestic infrastructure, with road construction as a top priority. The latter opened up the eastern frontier region and provided an alternative outlet to the sea via the Brazilian highway system. Historically, Paraguay has counted on the Paraná River and on Argentinian ports for its access to the Atlantic.