Latin America: Economy and Society since 1930 (Book).

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Author: Tuman, John P.1

BOOK REVIEWS

Latin America: Economy and Society Since 1930

LESLIE BETHELL (ed.) 1998, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. vii + 522; $59.95 cloth; $19.95 paper

The essays in this volume provide a comparative historical analysis of social and economic development in Latin America. Written by specialists from a variety of different fields, Latin America: Economy and Society Since 1930 aims to give a broad overview of the social transformations that occurred between 1930 and 1990, a crucial period in Latin American history.

The book is organized into four parts. Part I focuses on demographic change. Thomas W. Merrick's chapter looks at trends in fertility, mortality, and immigration, and also examines the implications of urbanization throughout Latin America. He notes that population growth after 1950 was higher in Latin America than in Asia, and almost as high as Africa's growth rate. Still, much of the growth in Latin America was concentrated in urban areas, creating a series of problems for the region's cities.

In Part II, the contributors discuss economic trends. Addressing the impact of the 1929 Depression, Victor Bulmer-Thomas argues that while international prices for primary products collapsed in the 1930s, many governments in Latin America remained committed to export-led growth. From his perspective, the decisive shift from an export orientation to import-substitution industrialization (ISI) occurred much later, in the 1940s and 1950s. Focusing on the period of 1939-1950, Rosemary Thorp's essay examines the influence of World War II on the region's economic performance. While the war generated more demand for Latin American exports, inflation and balance of payments remained serious problems. In this context, policymakers looked for ways to stimulate local manufacturing and reduce imports, laying the groundwork for ISI. Finally, Ricardo French-Davis, Oscar Munoz, and Jose Gabriel Palma analyze the results of ISI, with a focus on changes in growth, consumption, and regional economic integration. They show that ISI generated high growth rates and contributed to economic development during the 1950s and 1960s. Nevertheless, with the emergence of the 1982 debt crisis, policymakers were forced into adopting adjustment programs; since then, economic performance has been mixed.

The third part of the book examines the transformation of urban and rural social structures. In their essay on urban areas, Orlandina de Oliveira and Bryan Roberts suggest that development policies strongly influenced patterns of urban growth and changes in urban class structures. The period of ISI was marked by the growth of industrial employment, the emergence of the middle class, and a rising standard of living in urban areas. Women workers also found more opportunities in this period. With the collapse of ISI and the crisis of the 1980s, employment became more precarious, resulting in the growth of self-employment and work in the informal sector. To varying degrees, social polarization has grown in many urban areas. Norman Long and Bryan Roberts focus on changes in the agricultural sector. Since the 1950s, agricultural production has increased, but relatively fewer people have been employed in agriculture. Although government planning and reforms resulted in modernization in some cases, fiscal and administrative problems have forced states to limit their involvement in the sector. More recently, multinational firms have directed efforts to integrate Latin America as a low-cost production center of food and industrial crops.

The final section deals with the development of states and institutions. Emphasizing the variation in state organizations in Latin America, Laurence Whitehead examines trends in public employment, administrative capacity, and government involvement in the economy. He notes that between 1950 and 1970, the size and administrative capacity states expanded. The 1970s saw the growth of government development projects in Mexico and Brazil, while military intervention in Chile reduced administrative structures and government involvement in markets. The breakdown of authoritarian regimes and the transition to democracy has led to new demands for accountability of public officials, and greater citizen scrutiny of public institutions.

While advanced researchers are unlikely to find anything new in this book, Latin America: Economy and Society Since 1930 is a useful addition to the literature on the political economy of Latin America. The analysis in some chapters would have been stronger if the contributors had engaged the theoretical literature on economic development and state formation in more detail. Nevertheless, the bibliographic essays are excellent, and the chapters provide a wealth of data and information. As a result, Latin America: Economy and Society Since 1930 will prove to be extremely useful as a reference text in undergraduate and graduate courses.

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By John P. Tuman

Assistant Professor of Political Science, Texas Tech University

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