The self-proclaimed "liberal" economic policies of Brazil and Mexico in the period of 1870-1910 emphasized, according to the conventional historiography, small government, foreign investment and free trade. We found, however, that the states in Brazil and Mexico, while graded by the theory of...

Not all potential investors are equally discouraged by host country corruption. Some investors may actually benefit from it, especially if deception as to the true value of their investments is possible. A model is presented and tested with data for Latin America's top seven hosts and top eight...

Using a novel biographical database including all Presidents and presidential candidates in Colombia for the period 1833-2010 I show that the value of a political connection can be quantified in terms of the votes transferred within a political network. I consider three types of political...

This article measures Nueva Granada's GDP before its Independence, analyzes its economic growth during 1785-1810 and considers some hypothesis about its continuity in the 19th century, with an ending reference point in 1905. These measures are used to make international comparisons with other...

What is the long-term impact of pre-colonial ethnic institutions? I examine the consequences of the fragmentation of local indigenous communities produced by Spanish rule in Mexico. To do this I make use of unique data from 18th century pueblos — the basis of modern-day counties — to study...

How an empire that seemed cohesive for hundreds of years could easily fragment in a decade? I present a simple computational model of Spain's political economy and do some simulations that could help explain the rationale behind such system. I also provide an analytical narrative in which I...

The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between the nominations for seats in the Cabildo of Buenos Aires between 1776 and 1810, and the network status of council individuals and families. We test hypothesis on the importance of networks metrics of elite individuals and families with...

This paper aims to identify the effect of political exclusion on social capital in Colombia, suggesting social capital as an important channel through which political inequality has been central for Colombian economic development. I use the Colombian National Front agreement during 1958-1974 to...