The Politics of Property Rights: Political Instability, Credible Commitments, and Economic Growth in Mexico, 18761929 [Hardcover]

This book explains why political instability is not necessarily correlated with economic stagnation.This detailed economic history of Mexico advances a theory about how rent seeking permits economic growth. The book explains why political instability is not necessarily correlated with economic stagnation. It addresses the puzzle of growth amidst instability by combining analytic tools and theoretical insights from all history, political science and economics. This study is for historians of Latin America, scholars interested in economic development, and political scientists interested in the political foundations of growth.This detailed economic history of Mexico advances a theory about how rent seeking permits economic growth. The book explains why political instability is not necessarily correlated with economic stagnation. It addresses the puzzle of growth amidst instability by combining analytic tools and theoretical insights from all history, political science and economics. This study is for historians of Latin America, scholars interested in economic development, and political scientists interested in the political foundations of growth.This detailed economic history of Mexico presents a theory about how rent seeking permits economic growth and explains why political instability is not necessarily correlated with economic stagnation. It is intended for historians of Latin America, scholars interested in economic development, and political scientists interested in the political foundations of growth. Hb ISBN (2003): 0-521-82067-71. Introduction; 2. Theory: instability, credible commitments, and growth; 3. VPI coalitions in historical perspective: Mexico's turbulent politics, 18761929; 4. Finance; 5. Industry; 6. Petroleum; 7. Mining; 8. Agriculture; 9. Conclusion. An impressive volume wih useful and clever statistical measurements of the performance of various parts of the economy, and it certainly is valuable addition to the economic history of Mexico. lC-