Publisher's Synopsis
This book analyses the forces underlying economic growth and income distribution in Brazil and Mexico since 1950 in historical perspective. It presents a systematic comparison of experiences in the two countries within a common framework of analysis and statistics. It uses a political economy approach to assess the role of institutions, ideology, power elites, and interest groups in determining outcomes. The book concludes that policy error did more harm to economic growth than group conflicts of interest, but that the initial distribution of power and political influence was the main force making and preserving inequality.
