Teaching economic history at the undergraduate level presents two main challenges. First, students often do not feel naturally compelled to explore the role that production, distribution, or consumption played in history. Several reasons might explain this lack of interest, but any history professor focused on these topics must find a way to frame the course title in a manner that resonates more with students. The second challenge involves the technical tools required to teach economic history. Concepts such as inflation, balance of payments, and productivity pose an additional barrier for students approaching the subject.
Latin American Economic History: An Introduction to Daily Life, Debt, and Development, by Molly C. Ball, successfully addresses both challenges. It offers a general narrative of Latin America’s economic history since independence—one that not only traces regional trends but also zooms into specific cases and subregions. In doing so, the book presents three main strengths.
First, it adopts a pedagogical tone that introduces readers to essential conceptual terms necessary for understanding the region’s economic history. From the tension between growth and development outlined in the introduction, Ball defines human capital, capital stock, exchange rates, and economies of scale, among many other complex economic concepts. She does not introduce these terms abstractly—quite the opposite. Each concept is explained within the context of a specific historical moment, such as the discussion of conditional cash transfers during the era of the Pink Tide governments. In addition, the book presents and explains key quantitative data and offers accessible guidance on how to interpret these figures.
Second, the book follows a chronological narrative of Latin America’s economic history, covering the postindependence period, the export boom years, the state-led growth strategies after 1930, the neoliberal shift, the rise of Pink Tide governments in the early twenty-first century, and the present moment. While this might resemble familiar overviews of the region’s economic history, Ball enhances it by delving into specific events and stories that bring the narrative to life. From the Baring Crisis to the Cuban Revolution and the collapse of Lehman Brothers, she moves beyond broad generalizations to offer concrete examples that deepen readers’ understanding. While a short book cannot cover every national case, these examples effectively illustrate the broader trends that have shaped Latin America’s economic cycles.
Finally, the book devotes an entire chapter to the evolution of Latin American economies since the 2008 global crisis and the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Notably, Ball situates this recent history within a longer historical trajectory. In her account, the present is not merely a moment of uncertainty but one shaped by longstanding structural problems—such as labor market informality and weak fiscal discipline—with deep historical roots. This helps readers understand why the study of Latin America’s economic past matters not only as a scholarly pursuit but also because the region’s historical development shapes the options available for addressing current challenges.
If teaching economic history is always a challenge, Molly C. Ball has provided a valuable new tool to help us meet it. This textbook can be assigned as required reading, but it can also serve as a resource for instructors at various educational levels as they design their courses. The book can also be enjoyed by anyone interested in getting a general picture of Latin America’s past with a focus on economic and social issues. We may still need to find catchy titles to attract students to our classes, but we are now better prepared to teach them once they are in the room.
