Financial Crisis, Populism, and the Path to Prosperity in Latin America

Latin American economies enjoyed substantial growth in the early years of the twenty-first century, but the financial crisis beginning in 2008 called into question the sustainability of that progress. What are the keys to lasting prosperity in Central and South America? How can the benefits of wealth creation be widely distributed so as to ameliorate the poverty that has been endemic to the region? Do populist calls for vigorous government action represent the cure for what has ailed Latin America? Drawing on the findings of development economics and the wisdom of Catholic social teaching, Carroll Ríos de Rodríguez answers these questions by focusing attention on the institutions—rule of law, property, family—by which the people of Latin America can secure for themselves a bright future.