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The Economic Development of Latin America in the Twentieth Century
This book provides an assessment of Latin American 20th century economic performance from a comparative and historical perspective. The author uses growth accounting methods and previously unavailable long-term series data to present a comprehensive analysis of Latin American development over the course of the century.
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Critical Acclaim
Contents
More Information
This book provides an assessment of Latin American 20th century economic performance from a comparative and historical perspective. The author uses growth accounting methods and previously unavailable long-term series data to present a comprehensive analysis of Latin American development over the course of the century.
The performance of Latin American economies over this period is compared to that of three groups of countries: the advanced capitalist economies of France, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, UK and USA; the newly industrialised economies of Korea and Taiwan; and Spain and Portugal with which Latin America has historical ties. This presents a long-run comparative perspective of growth acceleration and slow-down in Latin America. The reasons for the comparatively poor or negative economic growth in the “Lost Decade” of the 1980s are examined as is the apparent economic recovery in the 1990s. The author also reviews other problems associated with the Latin American economies including debt problems, income inequality, high inflation, cyclical instability, and political and policy instability, and measures the ability of various countries to combat these challenges. Finally, the author analyses major stabilisation policies over the period and assesses their success.
This book will prove a valuable asset to students and scholars of Latin American economics, international economics and development economics.
The performance of Latin American economies over this period is compared to that of three groups of countries: the advanced capitalist economies of France, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, UK and USA; the newly industrialised economies of Korea and Taiwan; and Spain and Portugal with which Latin America has historical ties. This presents a long-run comparative perspective of growth acceleration and slow-down in Latin America. The reasons for the comparatively poor or negative economic growth in the “Lost Decade” of the 1980s are examined as is the apparent economic recovery in the 1990s. The author also reviews other problems associated with the Latin American economies including debt problems, income inequality, high inflation, cyclical instability, and political and policy instability, and measures the ability of various countries to combat these challenges. Finally, the author analyses major stabilisation policies over the period and assesses their success.
This book will prove a valuable asset to students and scholars of Latin American economics, international economics and development economics.
Critical Acclaim
‘. . . the author has compiled and analyzed an impressive array of socioeconomic data heretofore unavailable in one source. . . . it is an analysis of economic performance that should be core reading for advanced students of the region. The book is a reference for socioeconomic data for the sample of six nations; it provides a historical perspective on events affecting development of the region and analyzes growth accounts to identify causes and stages of economic performance. André Hofman has provided a quantitative explanation of why the region is mired in a dependency path – a long runway in the take-off stage of Rostow’s economic development model.’
– Robert B. South, Economic Geography
‘Researchers and scholars of Latin America will find this volume a gold mine of information . . . Highly recommended for academic and research collections, upper-division undergraduate and up.’
– J.L. Dietz, Choice
‘A major contribution to the analysis of Latin American economic performance and policies in the 20th century. Provides quantitative growth accounts, with new estimates of capital stock, labour and total factor productivity. Lengthy appendices provide estimates of key magnitudes adjusted to ensure international comparability. An invaluable reference work for all students, teachers and researchers in this field.’
– Angus Maddison, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
– Robert B. South, Economic Geography
‘Researchers and scholars of Latin America will find this volume a gold mine of information . . . Highly recommended for academic and research collections, upper-division undergraduate and up.’
– J.L. Dietz, Choice
‘A major contribution to the analysis of Latin American economic performance and policies in the 20th century. Provides quantitative growth accounts, with new estimates of capital stock, labour and total factor productivity. Lengthy appendices provide estimates of key magnitudes adjusted to ensure international comparability. An invaluable reference work for all students, teachers and researchers in this field.’
– Angus Maddison, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
Contents
Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Some Distinctive Characteristics of Latin America over the Long Run 3. Economic Performance in Latin America – A Comparative Quantitative Perspective 4. New Standardised Estimates of Labour Input and Human Capital 5. New Standardised Estimates of Capital Stock for Latin America and the USA 6. Explaining Latin American Post-War Development – The Growth Accounts 7. Performance and Policy in Latin America 8. Conclusions Appendices
