This book analyzes regional business cycles in Latin America. The authors explain the nature of regional business cycles and discuss different sources of regional economic fluctuations such as technology changes, natural disasters, or supply and demand shocks. Presenting case studies on Brazil, Chile and Mexico, the authors examine the co-movement of regional business cycles as well as the differing responses of regional economies to external shocks due to regional characteristics such as availability of natural resources, and the degree of integration into national and global markets. This short book appealto students and scholars as well as policy makers interested in regional growth processes in developing countries.

Patricio Aroca is professor and director of the Laboratory for Territorial and Social Studies (LETS-FEN) at Universidad Andrés Bello, Viña del Mar, Chile, and Associate Researcher of the Center for Conflict and Cohesion Studies of the Chilean National Fund for Science (CONICYT). He hold a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is principal investigator of the research nucleus “Regional Science & Public Policy” of the Chilean Millennium Scientific Initiative and the research project of the Chilean FONDEF-CONICYT “Measuring the Impact and Spillover of Chilean Regional Investment”. In addition, to his publication in international journals and books, he has consulted for the World Bank, UNCTAD, IADB and CELADE-ECLAC. Currently, he is President of the Pacific Regional Science Council and member of the board of Chilean Copper Commission (COCHILCO).

Pablo Mejía-Reyes is researcher and head of the Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Económicas (Center for Research in Economics) of the Facultad de Economía of the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (Autonomous University of the State of Mexico) as well as Coordinator of the Research Network on Cyclical Fluctuations and Economic Growth in Mexico. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Manchester, UK. His research areas are related to cyclical fluctuations and regional and international economic integration. He is author or co-author of two books dealing with the analysis of business cycles in Latin America and in the regions of Mexico. His research papers have been published in several specialized journals.

Carlos Azzoni is Professor of Economics at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. He is one of the coordinators of Nereus – the University of São Paulo Regional and Urban Economics Lab. He is a Fellow of the Regional Science Association International and a member of the External Advisory Board of the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies at the University of Illinois. His research interests include regional growth, regional inequality, and urban economics.