"El deber de existir" : crecimiento y capacidad fiscal en la economía decimonónica de México

Abstract

There are several main explanations in the copious historiography of 19th-century Mexico about the causes of the economic collapse in three stages: period of very low growth between 1820 and 1850, a period of absolute decline between 1850 and 1870, and finally a moderate recovery from the 1870s onwards. One way of coherently articulate all these explanations is to place the emphasis on the fiscal issue, taking advantage of some theoretical novelties that allow us to shed new light on long-standing discussions. This contributes to the discussion on the formation of the Mexican state and its relationship with economic development.