Bibliotheken Online

Falling behind

explaining the development gap between Latin America and the United States

ed. by Francis Fukuyama

Buch

englisch

Fukuyama, Francis (Ed.) DNB

Oxford Univ. Press

Oxford [u.a.]

2008

XIV, 312 p.

978-0-19-536882-6

Includes bibliographical references and index

united states
latin america
development
congresses
foreign economic relations

Summary
Falling Behind : Explaining the Development Gap Between Latin America and the United States
by Fukuyama, Francis (Editor)

Terms of use

In 1700, Latin America and British North America were roughly equal in economic terms. Yet over the next three centuries, the United States gradually pulled away, and today the gap is huge. Why did this happen? Was it culture? Geography? Economic policies? Natural resources? Differences inpolitical development? The question has occupied scholars for decades, and the debate remains a hot one. In Falling Behind, Francis Fukuyama, acclaimed author of The End of History and America at the Crossroads, gathers together some of the world's leading scholars on the subject to explain the nature of the gap and how it came to be. Tracing the histories of development over the past fourhundred years and focusing in particular on the policies of the last fifty years, the contributors conclude that while many factors are important, economic policies and political systems are at the root of the divide. Interestingly, while the gap is deeply rooted in history, they show that therehave been times when it closed a bit as a consequence of policies chosen in places ranging from Chile to Argentina. Bringing to light these policy success stories, Fukuyama and the contributors offer a way forward for Latin American nations, to improve their prospects for economic growth and stablepolitical development. Given that so many attribute the gap to either vast cultural differences or the consequences of U.S. economic domination, Falling Behind is sure to stir debate. And, given the importance of the subject in light of economic globalization and the immigration debate, its expansive, in-depthportrait of the hemispheres development will be a welcome addition to the conversation.

Table of Contents

Terms of Use
1 Introduction Francis Fukuyama p. 3
Part I The Historical Context
2 Two Centuries of South American Reflections on the Development Gap between the United States and Latin America Tulio Halperin Donghi p. 11
3 Looking at Them: A Mexican Perspective on the Gap with the United States Enrique Krauze p. 48
4 Explaining Latin America's Lagging Development in the Second Half of the Twentieth Century: Growth Strategies, Inequality, and Economic Crises Jorge I. Dominguez p. 72
Part II The Politics of Underdevelopment in Latin America
5 Does Politics Explain the Economic Gap between the United States and Latin America? Adam Przeworski and Carolina Curvale p. 99
6 The Role of High-Stakes Politics in Latin America's Development Gap Riordan Roett and Francisco E. Gonzalez p. 134
Part III Institutional Factors in Latin America's Development
7 The Latin American Equilibrium James A. Robinson p. 161
8 Do Defective Institutions Explain the Development Gap between the United States and Latin America? Francis Fukuyama p. 194
9 Why Institutions Matter: Fiscal Citizenship in Argentina and the United States Natalio R. Botana p. 222
10 Conclusion Francis Fukuyama p. 268
Contributors p. 297
Index

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