In the 1970s Latin America accounted for a high, and constantly increasing, proportion of the total public foreign debt of all developing countries, reaching a share of 35% by the end of the decade. In comparison, Latin America's share of the total GDP of the developing countries is around 20%....

Since the beginning of the seventies Latin American exporters have been losing ground to their Asian competitors on the EEC as well as on the world market. While Latin American authorities tend to put the blame on external factors, and among them not least on the allegedly protectionist and...