Essays in this book present five case studies that offer insight into the Latin American approach to petroleum resources and industries, focusing on Standard Oil of New Jersey and the four nationalized oil companies in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela. Essays on each company examine company origins, and a final essay provides a public policy perspective of state companies, analyzing the public enterprise as a type of organization that is institutionally distinct from general government. An appendix offers petroleum statistics for the four Latin American countries, 1910-1980. Wirth teaches history at Stanford University. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
