Latin American Economic Development
Fall 2010
Stanley Engerman, one of the foremost
economic historians today, cautions
against assuming that countries that are
rich today must have been destined to
become that way. He reminds us that,
“the area that became the United States was
long considered a rather undesirable location
by potential settlers. Most early European
commentators on the New World regarded
Latin America as a more preferred location
than mainland North America north of the
Rio Grande, in part because the North
American climate was considered
undesirable.”
He goes on to note that “England,
ultimately the most successful of the European
settlers of the New World, came late and was
forced to accept lands in mainland North
America that were at the time considered to be
of only limited value. France, forced to take
lands such as Canada, (which was) considered
of little value. Richelieu’s Finance Minister
was opposed to settling Canada, on the claim
that no area north of 40◦ latitude had been
able to produce wealth.”1
While these statements may surprise us,
we should remember that Argentina was
one of the 10 richest countries in the
world in 1900. What happened? Why
was Latin America expected to do well
while the British North American
1
Stanley Engerman, 2003, Comment on: Tropics,
germs and crops: How endowments influence
economic development, Journal Of Monetary Economics
50(1): p. 42-43.
colonies were considered undesirable?
What changed?
Rufino Tamayo, 1973, Perro de Luna
This class will give you the opportunity
to delve into the literature on Latin
American development. We will tackle
some of the big questions in the field,
such as: why did Latin America fall
behind the US in the 19th century? Why
was it so difficult to catch up? How have
states tried to foster development and
have they been successful? Why has the
region been so susceptible to populist
politicians and what are the implications
of populism for growth? What were the
reasons for the debt build-up in the 1970s
and the eventual crisis in the 1980s?
What kinds of reform were undertaken in
the 1990s and 2000s and were they
successful? Is the recent rise of the left in
the region a sign of reform exhaustion?
More than a survey of Latin American
development, this course promises that
you will have the opportunity to think
critically about these questions in your
reading, writing, and class discussions.
By the end of the semester, you will be
able to do the following:
~ Speak and write intelligently about the
important issues in Latin American
Latin American Economic Development
Fall 2010
economic development in your own
words.
~Understand the different strategies that
states have undertaken to foster
development and be able to explain when
they have worked and when they haven’t
(and know some of the reasons for the
difference).
* Participation: this means showing up on
time, prepared to discuss the readings,
with a willingness to engage respectfully
in class discussions and debates. (15%)
* Homework: 4 assignments, each worth
10% of your final grade.
* Exams: The midterm and final exam
(cumulative) will be worth 20% and 25%
of your final grade, respectively.
Ways to fulfill the promise:
Take responsibility for your own learning
and help support the learning of others in
the class.
Here’s how:
Put the time in.
Keep an open mind.
Make the commitment: your education is
a big deal!
Participate: come to class on time and be
prepared to discuss the readings.
Listen to your classmate’s viewpoints and
engage in lively (but respectful)
discussion. If you have to miss a class,
remember that you are responsible for
finding out what you missed.
The final grade will assess each student’s
ability to discuss and evaluate issues in
the field of Latin American economic
development as well as their ability to
defend their arguments on particular
debates. To evaluate your progress in
reaching these goals, and to provide you
with feedback on your learning, we will
look at the following items:
Rufino Tamayo, 1983, Protesta
My information:
Robin Grier
323 Hester Hall
Tel: 325-0581
Email: rgrier@ou.edu
Office hours: MW 3:00-4:00 & by appt.
Besides a willingness to work hard and
learn a lot, you will also need the
following for the class:
Blustein, Paul, 2006, And the Money
Kept Rolling In (And Out): Wall Street,
Latin American Economic Development
Fall 2010
the IMF, and the Bankrupting of
Argentina (Public Affairs).
writing assignment, please ask me about
it first before you turn it in.
Teichman, Judith, 2000, The Politics of
Freeing Markets in Latin America: Chile,
Argentina, and Mexico (The University
of North Carolina Press).
Support for Students: One of the most
important skills you can learn in college
is how to write effectively. We have an
excellent writing center at OU and I
encourage you to take advantage of their
services to improve your writing.
(www.ou.edu/writingcenter)
Reading packet available at King Kopy
No Distractions: Please do not engage
in any activity not related to class during
class time. Cell phones and other
electronic devices should be turned off
and put away before class begins.
Students who violate this policy may be
asked to leave the class.
Integrity: I strictly enforce academic
honesty. You are expected to be honest
and ethical at all times in your pursuit of
academic goals in accordance with the
university’s policy on academic conduct.
Please see
www.ou.edu/provost/integrity/
regarding the university’s policy on
plagiarism. If you have a question about a