Introduction: the puzzle of growth in dictatorships -- Network theory of private protection -- Political institutions and consolidated dictatorship -- Private policies -- Stable pool of private enforcers -- Network of private protection -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Network data -- Notes --...

In 1800, the per capita income of the United States was twice that of Mexico and roughly the same as Brazil’s. By 1913, it was four times greater than Mexico’s and seven times greater than Brazil’s. This volume seeks to explain the nineteenth-century lag in Latin American economic...