Latecomer State Formation: Political Geography and Capacity Failure in Latin America

Latin American governments systematically fail to provide the key public goods for their societies to prosper. Sebasti n Mazzuca argues this is because nineteenth-century Latin American state formation occurred in a period when commerce, rather than war, was the key driver forging countries. Latin American leaders pursued the benefits of international trade at the cost of long-term liabilities built into the countries they forged, notably patrimonial administrations and dysfunctional regional combinations.