Author:
Mitchell, Margaret T. (Margaret Tyler), 1967-
Edition Statement:1st ed.
Imprint:Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, 2008.
Descriptionxxi, 367 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Note:Series editor's foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Maps -- pt. 1. Narrative section -- ch. 1. Geography and history -- Pre-Hispanic Costa Rica -- The conquest of Costa Rica and the colonial era -- Economic development in the Central Valley : coffee and railroads -- The rest of the country : cattle and bananas -- Political development, 1824-1870 -- Order and progress : the Constitution of 1871 and the liberal state -- Education and modernization -- Economic crisis and challenges to the liberal order -- The crisis of the export model -- Machine politics, reform, and the Civil War of 1948 -- References -- ch. 2. The Costa Rican economy -- The exhaustion of the classical export model and the birth of the mixed economy -- Nationalization of the banks -- Autonomous institutions and the manager state -- Coffee and cooperatives -- Cattle ranching and deforestation in Guanacaste -- Industrialization and the Central American common market -- CODESA and the entrepreneur state -- The debt crisis and neoliberal reforms -- USAID and the parallel state -- From 1990 to the present : a new economic model with some familiar weaknesses -- Manufacturing -- Agriculture -- Service industries -- Social development -- References.ch. 3. Politics and institutions -- Education -- Health care -- Other autonomous institutions -- National parks, protected areas, and private conservation efforts -- Political institutions -- Political parties -- The abolition of the army and Costa Rican foreign policy -- Institutional change in the neoliberal era -- Corruption and the 2006 elections -- From gridlock to referendum in 2007 -- References -- ch. 4. Society and culture -- Urbanization, population growth, and the role of women -- Social cohesion and political participation -- Religion -- Ethnic minorities and the Costa Rican self-image -- Nicaraguan immigrants -- Insecurity and crime -- Soccer -- Arts and literature -- References -- pt. 2. Reference section -- Key events in Costa Rican history -- Significant people, institutions, places, and events -- Costa Rican language, food, and etiquette -- Language -- Food and beverages -- Common Costa Rican dishes -- Etiquette -- Costa Rica, related organizations -- Business and economics -- Culture, education, and exchange -- The environment -- Costa Rica's government representatives in the United States -- Tourism -- Annotated bibliography of recommended works on Costa Rica -- Geography and history of Costa Rica -- The economy of Costa Rica -- Costa Rican institutions -- Costa Rican society and contemporary issues -- Index -- About the authors.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references and index.
