When it was originally published in 1986, this was the first book to deal simultaneously with several aspects of social welfare provision in a developing country. The unique contribution of the book is based on the analysis of 3 substantive welfare areas – land (for self-help housing), urban infrastructure and health – which are examined in terms of the nature, motivation and effectiveness of government intervention. The book covers 3 administrations between 1970 and the mid-1980s and sets the analysis in the wider context of Latin American affairs. The author shows that although social welfare expenditure has increased, its importance as a government priority has been sharply eroded.