Liberty for Latin America
How to Undo 500 Years of State Oppression
Tuesday, May 3, 2005

Reception: 6:30 pm. Program: 7:00 pm
Admission: $15 • $10 for Institute Members or $30 Special Admission includes one copy of Liberty For Latin America (40% off ), $25 Members. RSVP — Limited Seating
Location: The Independent Institute Conference Center, Oakland, CA.
Map and Directions.

Just a few years ago, Latin America was thought to be moving toward prosperity, but the euphoria was short lived. From Patagonia to the Rio Grande, the sweeping reforms that promised economic growth have borne little fruit. Why did the reforms of the late 20th century, seen at the time as a universal model for underdeveloped countries, fail in Latin America? Why do Latin America’s democracies often act like dictatorships while its private enterprises act like government bureaucracies? Leading Latin American political journalist Alvaro Vargas Llosa (author of the new book Liberty for Latin America) diagnoses the region’s deep-seated malady and proposes genuine reform, liberalizing and decentralizing its institutions and empowering its 500 million people.

Liberty For Latin America: How to Undo 500 Years of State Oppression “An important contribution to the present debate on the causes of Latin America’s poor economic and social performance.” —Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico “This is an intriguing manifesto, passionately argued.” —Samuel Dillon, Pulitzer Prize winner and former Mexico City Bureau Chief, The New York Times “Why does ‘everything’ in Latin America usually fail? Vargas Llosa has a daring, but coherent, explanation.” —Carlos Alberto Montaner, The Miami Herald “The most profound, enlightening book available on Latin America.” —William Ratliff, Research Fellow, Hoover Institution Buy Liberty For Latin America: How to Undo 500 Years of State Oppression