Foreign Investment and Construction of Railroads in Colombia: The Panama Railroad Co., Case (1850-1869)

Abstract

In the mid-nineteenth century was an evidence of the processes of successful foreign investment in Latin America and particularly in Colombia, at least from the perspective of foreign investors: the construction and operation of the Panama Railroad Co. However, unlike other experiments in which the railroads became articulators of regional or national markets and, perhaps most important, in a tangible way to make the concept of nation, this did not happen in Colombia. In addition to the late and disjointed transport system, the Panama Railroad Co., became one of the elements that would eventually help sustain a serious challenge on Colombian sovereignty over Panama.

Keywords: Railways Colombia, Foreign Investment, Migration, Transport Monopolies

JEL Classification: N16, N36, N76, F21, F22