ABSTRACT
Current debates in both development theory and development practice are often framed in thematic terms, rather than focusing on certain sectors or particular countries. While clearly aware of the great importance of local specificity, in this book we have followed the lead of the first volume in the DARG Regional Development Series (Simon and Narman 1999). Our aim is to consider the future development challenges and review past changes as they have been played out in the region that we have termed 'Middle America'. Many of the economic, political and social processes described are, or have been present in other parts of the 'developing world', but it is the interplay between the 'global', the 'regional' and the 'local' that results in the specific outcomes described in this text.
