This is a comprehensive and detailed account of the economic
history of Puerto Rico from the period of Spanish colonial domination
to the present. Interweaving findings of the ‘new’ Puerto Rican
historiography with those of earlier historical studies, and using
the most recent theoretical concepts to interpret them, James Dietz
examines the complex manner in which productive and class relations
within Puerto Rico have interacted with changes in its place
in the world economy.
Besides including aggregate data on Puerto Rico’s economy, the
author offers valuable information on workers’ living conditions
and women workers, plus new interpretations of development since
Operation Bootstrap. His evaluation of the island’s export-oriented
economy has implications for many other developing countries.