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This unit will familiarise students with some of the key issues at stake in the politics of Latin American business from the end of the nineteenth century until the present. It will be constructed around a series of case studies taken from across the region that addresses, among other things, foreign interests in Latin America, state-led economic programmes, and the impact of globalisation in the region. This will be complemented with the discussion of theoretical traditions like dependency theory, Marxism and post-development. Introducing students to debates about the social impact of business strategies and about how informal economies engage with and function outside formal structures, the unit will encourage students to reflect on a range of historical processes that offer an insight into the way that Latin America is positioned in global affairs. 

This unit will familiarise students with key topics in the politics of business in Latin America from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. It will highlight trends in Latin American economic history and business politics by drawing comparisons between specific processes and case studies taken from across the region. By the end of the course, students will be in a position to reflect on the social impact of political decisions about Latin American business both at the national, regional and global level. 

By the end of this course students will be able to:

• communicate familiarity with key topics in the politics of business in Latin America from the end of the nineteenth century to the present  
• Identify and understand trends in Latin American business politics by drawing comparisons between specific case studies
• understand the social impact of political decisions about Latin American business both at the national, regional and global level 

The unit will be taught via a number of topic areas that will then be supplemented by in-depth analysis of relevant case studies via selected readings. The following is a list of topics that are indicative of the kind of material to be addressed on the unit:

• British and American Investments in Latin America  
• Dependency theory and Latin American industrialisation
• Neoliberalism  
• Marxist theories of Imperialism
• Post-development theory
• Illegal markets
• Neo-Extractivism
• Economic migrants 

• oral feedback during seminar discussions
• written feedback on essay drafts/plans
• written feedback on the essays themselves
• additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment)

The language of instruction and assessment for this unit will be English. All primary materials will be available in English, though students with Spanish and/or Portuguese will be encouraged to use appropriate sources in those languages where appropriate.