"Analyzes U.S. policy toward poorly performing states that are ineligible for new U.S. foreign assistance programs and examines the role of specific policy instruments in building state capacity to prevent deterioration and collapse" - Provided by publisher

After a decade of economic reforms that dramatically altered the structure of economies in Latin America, making them more open and more competitive, and a decade of substantial increases in public spending on education, health and other social programs in virtually all countries, poverty and...

Introduction [or giving Latin America's majority a fair chance] -- A dozen equity tools -- Rule-based fiscal discipline -- Smoothing booms and busts -- Social safety nets that trigger automatically -- More taxes on the rich and better spending on the rest -- Giving small businesses a chance --...