Using examples from different historical and geographic contexts, students will analyze both the diversity and the commonalities of economic outcomes in Latin America, with an emphasis on institutional patterns. The class analyzes the divergence between North America and Latin America since the 1700s; surveys Latin America's economic history; reviews the region's recent economic experience with macroeconomic crises and their interaction with the political sphere; and explores current topics in the region's economic development, like the war on drugs and the rise of leftist policies.