Brazil constitutes a globally vital but troubled economy. It accounts for the largest GDP in Latin America and ranks among the world's largest exporters of critical commodities including iron ore, soya, coffee, and beef. In recent years Brazil's global economic importance has been magnified by a...

"This introductory chapter sets out the conceptual and empirical background for the book as well as the questions it addresses. The discussion suggests that despite many years of attempted reform and undoubted economic and social progress, Latin America has failed to close the income and...