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9781316515129

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'In Contemporary State Building Gustavo Flores-Macias takes on two issues generally treated separately: responses to insecurity and the politics of taxation. In a masterful work Flores-Macias uses precisely this juxtaposition to show how even weak states can sometimes effectively tax elites to provide public goods.' Marcus Kurtz, The Ohio State University, author of Free Market Democracy and the Chilean and Mexican Countryside and Latin American State Building in Comparative Perspective: Social Foundations of Institutional Order 'Flores-Macias has once again made an important contribution to our understanding of elites and the state in Latin America. Policymakers, political theorists, students, elites, and activists would be wise to consider the lessons of this work in devising their strategies for building viable states, addressing crises of development, and pursuing justice.' Aaron Schneider, University of Denver, author of State-Building and Tax Regimes in Central America 'Right-wing governments are usually disinclined to tax the wealthy, and cozy relations between government and business typically produce states that are more captured than capable. Yet under conditions of extreme security threat, Gustavo Flores-Macias convincingly argues, Latin America has sometimes experienced bouts of state-building through heightened elite taxation under conservative, pro-business rule. A nicely nuanced contribution to our understanding of the complicated political pathways through which internal violence shapes the origins of state power.' Dan Slater, University of Michigan, author of Ordering Power

'In Contemporary State Building Gustavo Flores-Macías takes on two issues generally treated separately: responses to insecurity and the politics of taxation. In a masterful work Flores-Macías uses precisely this juxtaposition to show how even weak states can sometimes effectively tax elites to provide public goods.' Marcus Kurtz, The Ohio State University, author of Free Market Democracy and the Chilean and Mexican Countryside and Latin American State Building in Comparative Perspective: Social Foundations of Institutional Order 'Flores-Macías has once again made an important contribution to our understanding of elites and the state in Latin America. Policymakers, political theorists, students, elites, and activists would be wise to consider the lessons of this work in devising their strategies for building viable states, addressing crises of development, and pursuing justice.' Aaron Schneider, University of Denver, author of State-Building and Tax Regimes in Central America 'Right-wing governments are usually disinclined to tax the wealthy, and cozy relations between government and business typically produce states that are more captured than capable. Yet under conditions of extreme security threat, Gustavo Flores-Macías convincingly argues, Latin America has sometimes experienced bouts of state-building through heightened elite taxation under conservative, pro-business rule. A nicely nuanced contribution to our understanding of the complicated political pathways through which internal violence shapes the origins of state power.' Dan Slater, University of Michigan, author of Ordering Power '… this book offers something to both researchers and instructors. From a scholarly perspective, it makes a compelling case that is deeply rooted in political economic models of policy making.' James E. Mahon Jr, Perspectives on Politics

Author Information

Gustavo A. Flores-Macías is Associate Vice Provost for International Affairs and Associate Professor of Government and Public Policy at Cornell University.

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