Recovery or relapse in the global economy : comparative perspectives on restructuring in Central America /

Ten of the twelve essays in this collection are rewritten conference papers presented by faculty from the State University of New York, Albany, and by scholars from Central America. The first essay, written by the editors, is an insubstantial introduction to the book, and it praises the pluralism of the volume's contributions. They are indeed extremely uneven in tone, quality, format, and even subject matter. Two of the longer essays do not mention Central America and two others do so only peripherally. The two Central American nations treated in any depth are Costa Rica and Honduras, which have experienced the least armed conflict in the region. The other essays schematically discuss the prospects for and implications of economic and political integration, debt, "cooperativism," and the global economy for Central America in a general way but with no reference to each other. Not recommended. F. S. Weaver; Hampshire College