"Brilliantly written and argued, Concrete Economics shows exactly how the US government has shaped and directed the economy since the very inception of the country. This book does not rehash the sturdy and well-known arguments that to thrive, an entrepreneurial economy needs a social and policy...

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...

"From the American Revolution to the present day, our financial institutions and financial practices--from banks to the stock market to tariffs to bailouts--remain at the core of our behaviors, our politics, and even our beliefs. The documents in this set discuss the political and social...

In 1700, Latin America and British North America were roughly equal in economic terms. Yet over the next three centuries, the United States gradually pulled away, and today the gap is huge. Why did this happen? Was it culture? Geography? Economic policies? Natural resources? Differences in...