Economic History of Puerto Rico: Institutional Change and Capitalist Development

I have wanted to own this book for quite some time. I began reading it years ago and never finished it. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of why PR was the way it was economically. My mom and dad were born and raised in PR but they left to NY. They couldn't answer my questions about PR. While researching and gathering my own information and stories from PR, I remembered reading this book that was enlightening years ago. I went looking for it and was unable to find it in libraries or in book stores at a reasonable price. So glad I own it now and can reference it.

This book provides a very good analysis of Puerto Rico's economic situation at various historical stages. It's geared towards those doing research on the subject and can be tough reading for just a historical perspective, but if you want the big picture, this book is a big part of it.

Good social/economic histories are rare and we are fortunate to have this study for Puerto Rico. It is too easy to forget how life was prior to the demographic explosion of the early 20th century. Many areas had just a few thousand inhabitants. The book also demonstratedse the importance of the Munoz Marin strategy of economic development. If there is any weakness, I think a more detailed analysis of the dependence of PR on the US is warranted. If we compare Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic, we see a society in which welfare/food stamps programs raised food costs etc. and displaced local agriculture and production. In the Dominican Republic local production remains and costs remain low because of the much lower per capita income. Sea-Land is not referenced in the book. I would point out that his statistics do document the unbalanced nature of trade and the issue of trading with other Caribbean nations given US trade policies. The challenge of continued development requires greater production of domestic goods in Puerto Rico and the ability to trade freely with surrounding economies. In sum, this work is an excellent start for improved understanding of the Commonwealth and its status in the US and the region.

In this book James Dietz works on the economial history of the island of Puerto Rico. Dietzs work makes him a pioneer with a complete summary in this subject. The chapters are well written, aslo the works uses ilustrations and graphs which makes this book easy to read. This book covers from the colonization and concludes with an analysis of the actual economy. Excellent work.