| My dissertation argues sectoral economic conflicts fostered state-building in Latin America. Using fine-grained historical case study comparisons, sectoral outputs from 1900 to the present, panel data and time-series econometric techniques, and a novel earthquake dataset (to measure state capacities), I find that industrial expansion altered the post-colonial political balance, putting heavy pressures for the implementation of tax institutions. In turn, fiscal expansion fostered both political development and economic growth. |
