• MERCOSUR and the challenge of the Brasilian financial crisis

    In a recent article (Acque & Terre no. 6, 1998) we described the situation in Brazil to the background of the international financial crisis. Although stressing the structural weaknesses – still present – in the Brazilian economy and society, our analysis concluded that the enormous progress made by Brazil in the 1990s (a more open…

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  • Brazil and the international financial crisis

    The financial crisis so sorely afflicting Asia and Russia has had extremely serious repercussions on all the so-called emerging countries. This has also been the case for Latin American countries, especially Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela. The first Asian crisis of 1997 had already driven Brazil to introduce protective measures in order to minimise…

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  • Mexico: from single party to pluralism

    Given the background of sweeping transformations in Latin America, the Mexican case is emblematic of the reach but also the limits of the ongoing changes. Modern Mexico has a complex original history. It is the outcome of various major factors each with a specific weight: the glorious past of the pre-Columbian civilisations, Spanish colonisation, the…

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