This volume studies the role of natural resources in development and economic diversification. It brings together a variety of analytical perspectives, ranging from econometric analyses of economic growth to historical studies of successful development experiences in countries with abundant natural resources. This book addresses two key questions for policy makers in natural resource-rich regions such as Latin America: First, is natural resource wealth an asset or a liability for development and, if potentially the former, how can its contribution be enhanced? And second, can countries rich in natural resources efficiently diversify toward manufacturing or service-sector exports?

The politics of Mexican development

Natural Resources, Neither Curse nor Destiny

Shaping the Political Arena

Recent research shows that colonialism reversed levels of development in much of the non‐European world. To explain this reversal, analysts focus on conditions within the colonized areas. By contrast, drawing on evidence from Spanish and British colonialism, the authors show that the economic models of the colonizing nations also affected the reversals of fortune. Mercantilist Spain tended to colonize most extensively precolonial regions that were populous and highly developed; in turn, extensive Spanish colonization had negative consequences for postcolonial development. In comparison, liberal Britain tended to colonize most extensively precolonial regions that were sparsely populated and underdeveloped; in turn, extensive British colonialism had comparatively positive effects. Thus, both Spain and Britain reversed the fortunes of precolonial regions, but in largely opposite ways.

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Colonialism and Development: a Comparative Analysis of Spanish and British Colonies

Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations

This book explores the politics of fiscal authority, focusing on the centralization of taxation in Latin America during the twentieth century. The book studies this issue in great detail for the case of Mexico. The political (and fiscal) fragmentation associated with civil war at the beginning of the century was eventually transformed into a highly centralized regime. The analysis shows that fiscal centralization can best be studied as the consequence of a bargain struck between self-interested regional and national politicians. Fiscal centralization was more extreme in Mexico than in most other places in the world, but the challenges and problems tackled by Mexican politicians were not unique. The book thus analyzes fiscal centralization and the origins of intergovernmental financial transfers in the other Latin American federal regimes, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela. The analysis sheds light on the factors that explain the consolidation of tax authority in developing countries.

The politics of Mexican development

Citations

Natural Resources, Neither Curse nor Destiny

Shaping the Political Arena

Colonialism and Development: a Comparative Analysis of Spanish and British Colonies

Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations

Federalism, Fiscal Authority, and Centralization in Latin America

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Institutions, Institutional Change, and Economic Performance

The Difficult Transition from Clientelism to Citizenship: Lessons from Mexico

Capitalist development and democracy

The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions

Rethinking Military Politics: Brazil and the Southern Cone