Latin America Program

Peter Blair Henry, Director

The Latin America program began in 2000 and is currently directed by Professor Peter Henry. The program’s main focus is on the Latin American countries with the largest populations: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, and the Caribbean. The specifics vary from country to country, but the bottom line is the same: getting financial systems right­or, more accurately, getting the property rights systems and regulatory structures that create financial systems right as an essential first step in promoting sustained economic growth in Latin America. The primary research goal is to understand how to craft policies that encourage the development of efficient banking systems and securities markets. The second goal is for the program’s research efforts to have a significant impact on policy and thereby to increase economic growth in Latin America. The SCID program on Latin America holds conferences on the Stanford campus.