Synopses & Reviews
This detailed economic history of Mexico presents a theory about how rent seeking permits economic growth and explains why political instability is not necessarily correlated with economic stagnation. It is intended for historians of Latin America, scholars interested in economic development, and political scientists interested in the political foundations of growth. Hb ISBN (2003): 0-521-82067-7
Review
"An impressive volume wih useful and clever statistical measurements of the performance of various parts of the economy, and it certainly is valuable addition to the economic history of Mexico." EH.net"Helps to unpack the diffuclt instability-growth puzzle." APSA Perspectives on Politics
Synopsis
This book is intended for historians of Latin America, scholars interested in economic development, and political scientists interested in the political foundations of growth. It offers a detailed economic history of Mexico and a theory about how rent seeking permits economic growth. The book explains why political instability is not necessarily correlated with economic stagnation. There is no competing work in the history literature, the political science literature, or the economics literature. All three fields have found a puzzle of growth amidst instability to be explained. We have answered it by combining analytic tools and theoretical insights from all three fields.
Synopsis
The book explains why political instability is not necessarily correlated with economic stagnation.
About the Author
Stephen Haber is A. A. and Jeanne Welch Milligan Professor at Stanford University, where he teaches political science and history. He is also the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution. Haber also serves as Director of Stanford's Social Science History Institute. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including Industry and Underdevelopment: The Industrialization of Mexico, 1890-1940 (1989) and How Latin America Fell Behind (1997).Armando Razo is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University. He has published articles in World Politics and the Journal of Latin American Studies.Professor Noel Maurer is Assistant Professor of Economics at ITAM. He has been a lecturer at Stanford University, and is the author of The Power and the Money: The Mexican Financial System, 1876-1931, as well as the author of articles for journals such as the Journal of Economic History and the Journal of Latin American Studies.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Theory: instability, credible commitments, and growth; 3. VPI coalitions in historical perspective: Mexico's turbulent politics, 1876-1929; 4. Finance; 5. Industry; 6. Petroleum; 7. Mining; 8. Agriculture; 9. Conclusion.