Latecomer State Formation

Latin American governments systematically fail to provide the key public goods for their societies to prosper. Sebastian Mazzuca argues this is because nineteenth-century Latin American state formation occurred in a period when commerce, rather than war,was the key driver forging countries. Latin American leaders pursued the benefits of international trade at the cost of long-term liabilities built into the countries they forged, notably patrimonial administrations and dysfunctional regional combinations.