"Since 1980, China has evolved from a poor and mostly rural society into one of the largest economies in the world. As it grew into a major industrial power, it demanded enormous amounts of steel for new factories and cities, copper for electronic wires, petroleum for cars and manufacturing...

The historical context -- Two centuries of South American reflections on the development gap between the United States and Latin America / Tulio Halperin Donghi -- Looking at them: a Mexican perspective on the gap with the United States / Enrique Krauze -- Explaining Latin America's lagging...

Frontmatter -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- I. Economic Problems and Development in the Long Run -- II. The Impact of the Colonial Heritage on the Economic Development in the 19th and 20th Centuries -- III. International Economic Relations and their Impact on Economy, State, and Society...

"The mistakes the U.S. has made in Latin America-and the high price it will pay for them Washington has long told Latin American countries how to run their economies: bring in multinationals, eliminate the social safety net, keep government debt low, court U.S. politicians, and sign free trade...