State Building in Latin America

StateBuildinginLatinAmericadivergesfromexistingscholarshipindevelopingexplanationsbothforwhystate-buildingeffortsintheregionemergedandfortheirsuccessorfailure.First,LatinAmericanstateleaderschosetoattemptconcertedstate-buildingonlywheretheysawitasthemeanstopoliticalorderandeconomicdevelopment.Fragmentedregionalismledtotheadoptionofmorelaissez-faireideasandtherejectionofstate-building.Withdominanturbancenters,developmentalistideasandstate-buildingeffortstookhold,butnotallstate-buildingprojectssucceeded.Thesecondplankofthebook'sargumentcentersonstrategiesofbureaucraticappointmenttoexplainthisvariation.Fillingadministrativerankswithlocalelitescausedevenconcertedstate-buildingeffortstoflounder,whileappointingoutsiderstoserveasadministratorsunderpinnedsuccess.Relyingonextensivearchivalevidence,thebooktraceshowthesefactorsshapedthedifferentialdevelopmentofeducation,taxation,andconscriptioninChile,Colombia,Mexico,andPeru.