Latecomer State Formation: Political Geography and Capacity Failure in Latin America (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780300248951)

A major contribution to the field of comparative state formation and the scholarship on long-term political development of Latin America

"Ambitious and rich. . . . A sweeping and general theory of state formation and detailed historical reconstruction of essential events in Latin American political development. It combines structural elements with a novel emphasis on the political incentives and bargaining that shaped the map we have today."--Hillel David Soifer, Governance

Latin American governments systematically fail to provide the key public goods for their societies to prosper. Sebasti疣 Mazzuca argues that the secret of Latin America's failure is that its states were "born weak," in contrast to states in western Europe, North America, and Japan. State formation in post-Independence Latin America occurred in a period when capitalism, rather than war, was the key driver forging countries. In pursuing the short-term benefits of international trade, Latin American leaders created states with chronic weaknesses, notably patrimonial administrations and dysfunctional regional combinations. Mazzuca analyzes pathways leading to variations in country size and level of pacification: "port-led" state formation in Argentina and Brazil; "party-led" in Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay; and "lord-led" in Central America, Venezuela, and Peru.

Author: Sebastian Mazzuca
ISBN-10: 0300248954
ISBN-13: 9780300248951
Publisher: Yale University Press
Language: English
Published: 05/11/2021
Pages: 464
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.68lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.40w x 1.40d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2022