Patterns of Development in Latin America

"An ambitious attempt to analyze continuities and changes in contemporary Latin America. The book focuses on three questions: what accounts for persistently strong inequalities of Latin America; what are the main effects on Latin America of its relations with the rest of the world; and what relationship has there been in Latin America between the trends toward market-oriented economic systems and extreme political repression. Using both topical and country-oriented approaches, Sheahan ranges widely and sensitively over recent Latin American experiences with market capitalism, Marxist socialism, and various middle-road alternatives. He draws balanced, reformist conclusions--aimed both at Latin American leaders and those who shape U.S. policy. A wise and perceptive book."--Foreign Affairs "Any social scientist writing a general book on a comparative theme in Latin America immediately confronts a series of problems--the passions aroused by the theoretical debates (in this case structuralism, monetarism, and dependency); the need to synthesize these theoretical insights with conflicting empirical research; the vast quantity of literature which has appeared since the 1960s; and the choice of which countries to concentrate on and examples to use. John Sheahan's excellent book shows how a skillful and judicious writer can cut through the theoretical and empirical research to produce an effective study of the recent economic history of Latin America."--International Affairs