Chicago IL, Estados Unidos : University of Chicago Press, 2007.

viii, 418 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.

A National Bureau of Economic Research conference report

I. Economic growth, taxation and institutions. 1. When did Latin America fall behind / Leandro Prados de la Escosura -- 2. Before the Golden Age / Pedro Lains -- 3. Inequality and the evolution of institutions of taxation / Kenneth L. Sokoloff and Eric M. Zolt -- II. Financial crises, lending, and inflation. 4. Financial crises, 1880-1913 / Michael D. Bordo and Christopher M. Meissner -- 5. True measure of country risk / Gerardo della Paolera and Martin Grandes -- 6. Related lending / Noel Maurer and Stephen Haber -- 7. Sudden stops and currency drops / Luis A. V. Catão -- 8. Establishing credibility / Sebastian Edwards -- III: Protectionism and economic performance. 9. Some economic effects of closing the economy / Gerardo Esquivel and Graciela Márquez -- 10. Political economy of protectionism / Aurora Gómez-Galvarriato.

Latin America's economic performance is mediocre at best, despite abundant natural resources and flourishing neighbors to the north. The perplexing question of how some of the wealthiest nations in the world in the nineteenth century are now the most crisis-prone has long puzzled economists and historians.

9780226185002

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.