Introduction

Latin America consists of a diverse set of countries that nonetheless face common political, economic, and social problems; in particular, high inequality and volatile growth which have contributed throughout the years to high levels of poverty. However, since the 2000s, many countries in Latin America have reduced inflation, brought external debts under control, and improved on most of the key economic and social performance indexes. These structural changes carried out by the Latin American countries have attracted the attention of external investors, as well as large international audiences. With countries such as Mexico and Brazil becoming political and economic power houses, the Latin American region is set to play an important role in the global economy. Yet, international research communities currently lack a systematic understanding of accounting issues within the context of Latin American economies. Indeed, in spite of a vibrant and growing accounting literature emanating from Latin American researchers, much of this literature has failed to reach international readers.