Preface -- List of acronyms -- Geography and the colonial legacy -- Export led growth and the origins of protectionism -- Import substitution industrialization (ISI) -- Debt crises and the lost decade -- Poverty : origins and persistence -- The political economy of Latin American development -- Fiscal policy for development -- The fight against inflation -- Pegging, sliding and floating : managing exchange rates -- Trade and financial liberalization -- Labor markets, informality, and labor protection -- Growth and development in Latin America -- Bibliography -- Notes -- Index