Book
The other path : the invisible revolution in the Third World / Hernando de Soto, in collaboration with the Instituto Libertad y Democracia ; foreword by Mario Vargas Llosa ; translated by June Abbott.
Uses Lima, Peru, as a case study and describes in absorbing detail the surprising and revolutionary world of the so-called informals, black marketeers who work outside the law. The reason for this underground economy is the enormous complexity of Peru's legal machinery. Hundreds of new regulations are passed each week and no private entrepreneur can hope to deal with the bureaucracy. Through detailed field studies, this book calculates the enormous economic effects of laws regulating such diverse matters as housing construction, the establishment of industries, public transport and trade. For many readers, however, the greatest contribution of this book is its political analysis. The author provides evidence to support his theory that Latin America is nearing the end of a stage in its history similar to the one experienced by European nations when mercantilist regimes dominated the continent between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. He argues that Peru is already undergoing a revolutionary and irreversible process of transformation.
Record details
- ISBN: 0060160209
- ISBN: 9780060160203
- ISBN: 1850431442
- ISBN: 9781850431442
- ISBN: 0060916400
- ISBN: 9780060916404
- Physical Description: xxvii, 271 pages, [24] pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition: 1st ed.
- Publisher: New York : Harper & Row, ©1989.
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Translation of: El otro sendero.
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Migration -- A Hostile Reception -- From Migrants to Informals -- Informal Housing -- The Informal Acquisition of Property -- The Historical Evolution of Informal Housing -- The Long March toward Private Property -- Informal Trade -- Types of Informal Trade -- The Historical Evolution of Informal Trade -- The March toward Markets -- Informal Transport -- Types of Informal Transport -- The Historical Evolution of Informal Transport -- The Mystery of Cyclical Bankruptcies -- The Costs and Importance of the Law -- The Costs of Formality -- The Costs of Access -- The Costs of Informality -- The National Economic Consequences of the Costs of Formality and Informality -- The Law as a Determinant of Development -- The Redistributive Tradition -- The Parallel with Mercantilism -- The Characteristics of Mercantilism -- Peru: A Mercantilist Country? -- The Decline of Mercantilism and the Emergence of Informals -- Collapse -- The Social Relevance of Legal Institutions -- Violence -- The Survival of Mercantilism -- Political Voluntarism -- Left- and Right-Wing Mercantilists -- The Promise of Human Capital -- An Agenda for Change -- Final Remarks.
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Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Northwest Indian College.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lummi Library | HD 2346 .P4 S68 1989 | 286230 | Stacks | Available | - |
Summary:
Uses Lima, Peru, as a case study and describes in absorbing detail the surprising and revolutionary world of the so-called informals, black marketeers who work outside the law. The reason for this underground economy is the enormous complexity of Peru's legal machinery. Hundreds of new regulations are passed each week and no private entrepreneur can hope to deal with the bureaucracy. Through detailed field studies, this book calculates the enormous economic effects of laws regulating such diverse matters as housing construction, the establishment of industries, public transport and trade. For many readers, however, the greatest contribution of this book is its political analysis. The author provides evidence to support his theory that Latin America is nearing the end of a stage in its history similar to the one experienced by European nations when mercantilist regimes dominated the continent between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. He argues that Peru is already undergoing a revolutionary and irreversible process of transformation.