Contemporary Latin American populism resulted from the combination of two factors: (1) an institutional environment that made political success possible and (2) an international commodities boom that raised government revenues and made populist rent seeking remunerative. Countries that adopted populist policies have seen declining institutional health (less economic freedom, less press freedom) and declining economic performance relative to others in Latin America.

Nicolás Cachanosky is associate professor in the Department of Economics at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Alexandre Padilla is Professor and Chair of the Economics Department and Director of the Exploring Economic Freedom Project at Metropolitan State University Denver.
International Economics and DevelopmentLatin America
Other Independent Review articles by Nicolás Cachanosky
Summer 2022 Monetary Disorder in Buenos Aires Province, 1822–1881
Winter 2017/18 Money: Free and Unfree
Fall 2015 Money, Banking, and the Business Cycle. Volume 1: Integrating Theory and Practice. Volume 2: Remedies and Alternative Theories
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