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Copyright of Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian & Latin American Economic History is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper addresses new challenges and identifies starting points for development theory following recent debates in Latin America on ‘new or neo-extractivism’. It focuses on the concept of neo-extractivism and the context of its emergence, and on the changing role of the state. Looking at a number of social economic indicators, we find that, even after considering differences between countries, (neo-)extractivism is not merely a temporary economic strategy in the region. Instead, it exhibits features of a consolidated development project. Empirical evidence from the region shows the fundamental implications of resource-based development paths in politics, social relations and territorial orders. To grasp these implications conceptually, we argue for a shift in theoretical perspectives related to the link between development and resource extraction. Key elements for such a shift are to be found in recent studies in rentier theory and politics and new approaches in the field of political ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Journal of Latin American Studies is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Inequality among human beings has been an issue of concern from the ancient times. It has been considered ethically undesirable and many great thinkers in human history have sought to narrow the gap between the haves and the have-nots through their philosophy, teachings and efforts. Yet disparities amongst different groups of people have continued to exist in almost every country and society of the world. The last few centuries, especially since the dawn of the industrial revolution, have seen unprecedented growth in the creation of wealth. Unfortunately, this wealth has been divided most unequally, both within and across countries and regions with the result that vast sections of the world population have been deprived of the benefits of the creation of wealth and development. (UN Human Development Report, 2002. pp. 2-4) Latin America is one region where inequality is particularly pronounced in almost all respects--in terms of income, access to education, health services, water, electricity, political influence (voice), assets and opportunities. This paper focuses on the income disparities in Latin America1 and includes a discussion of the background and history of inequality in the region, its main causes, a review of the data about inequality in different Latin American countries and the trends, the consequences of high-income disparities, and the possible solutions for reducing the persistent inequality. Disparities in incomes on the basis of ethnicity and gender are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the twentieth century, the Mexican financial system emerged embedded in business groups, as a way of serving their financial needs. Until 1982, Mexico's banking system experienced unprecedented expansion. This article explains how, despite extensive insider lending practices, the relationships between business groups and financial intermediaries were sound enough to sustain them: first, because the commercial banks developed a certain autonomy from their related business groups; and second, because counterbalanced decision-making occurred when property was shared by two or more business groups. However, the ownership of banks remained concentrated in the hands of the business groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study of social violence in Latin America has stood at the periphery of cross-national research despite the region being one of the most violent in the contemporary world. This article provides a comprehensive review of theories of crime and presents an empirical analysis of social violence in Latin America from 1980 to 2010. The literature often emphasizes one theoretical approach over others and existing explanations are seen as competitive rather than complementary. Yet, the empirical findings of this study support different explanations and illustrate how considering different theoretical approaches helps improve our knowledge on social violence phenomena. The results from different estimation methods reveal that youth bulges, female workforce, and post-conflict states are positively associated with social violence, as measured by homicide rates. The results also show that states’ efforts to strengthen judicial system capacity and increase school attendance can promote peace. Moreover, while drug producers and/or transit countries are not systematically related to social violence, money-laundering countries experience higher homicide rates, suggesting that not all dimensions of drug-markets increase violence. Whereas Latin America as a whole has experienced few episodes of civil wars in the past decades, the findings suggest that several factors affecting the onset of civil wars also influence other forms of non-political violence such as social violence. This echoes earlier calls in the literature on the necessity of bridging conflict and criminology research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reveals the emergence of the idea of development in the sociological study of Latin America in the United States as a specific product of history. We show how in the 1960s, it was the result of interaction between the economic, political, military, and scientific fields generated by the mobilization of resources based on their respective rules. We criticize the idea that sociology had clearly-defined goals during this period. Our research demonstrates, for instance, how the research conducted on Latin America during that period was rooted in 'topical tropism'. Our investigation is based on the analysis of empirical data including institutional information, journal articles and historical archives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Historia Económica / Journal of Iberian & Latin American Economic History is the property of Cambridge University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There has been considerable concern in Latin America over the implications of increased competition from China for local industry. These concerns include the possibility of “deindustrialization,” the increased “primarization” of the region's exports and the difficulties of upgrading manufactured exports into higher technology products. This article examines the impact of Chinese competition both in the domestic market and in export markets on Brazilian industry. It documents the increased penetration of Chinese manufactures in the Brazilian market and the way in which Brazilian exports have lost market share to China in the US, European Union and four Latin American countries. Brazil, because of its more developed and locally integrated industrial sector, is not typical of other Latin American countries and the article also discusses the relevance of the Brazilian experience for the region as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]