Latin America's economic performance is mediocre at best, despite abundant natural resources and flourishing neighbours to the north. The perplexing question of how some of the wealthiest nations in the world in the nineteenth century are now the most crisis prone has long puzzled economists and historians. This book examines the reality behind the struggling economies of Argentina, Chile, and Mexico. A panel of experts argues here that slow growth, rampant protectionism, and rising inflation plagued Latin America for years, where corrupt institutions and political unrest undermined the financial outlook of already-besieged economies.