Contiene: 1. Introduction; 2. A neoclassical framework; 3. Latin Americas persistent economic stagnation; 4. TFP (Total factor productivity) is the cause of Latin Americas stagnation; 5. Human capital is not a major factor; 6. Latin American stagnation and competitive barriers; 7. Latin America puts up significant competitive barriers: A. Latin Americas international barriers: high protectionsm; B. Latin Americas domestic competitive barriers: high entry barriers; 8. Microeconomic evidence on the impact of competition: A. Eliminating competition in the Venezuelan oil industry; B. Eliminating competition in the Venezuelan iron industry; C. Allowing entry in Chiles Copper industry; D. Reversing quotas in Brazils computer industry; E. Privatizing state-owned enterprises: Brazilian iron ore; F. The large-scale privatization of Mexican SOEs; G. The large-scale privatization of Argentinian SOEs; 9. Conclusion