The Fall and Rise of the Market in Sandinista Nicaragua is an insightful look at the difficulties that arise when a particular vision of socialism is applied in a country such as Nicaragua. Phil Ryan argues that the Sandinistas pursued a project of social transformation inspired by a Marxism much more orthodox than has been widely recognized. He maintains that tensions between this project and other factors such as war and external debt led to the severe economic crisis of the mid-1980s.

Ryan focuses on four broad issue areas -- the organization and role of the state sector, price policy, relations with the bourgeoisie, and agrarian reform. The interactions between these issue areas, and between the technical and political contradictions they reveal, demonstrate the complexity of choices faced by the Sandinista leadership.

The Fall and Rise of the Market in Sandinista Nicaragua will engage those with an interest in not only Latin American and development studies but also socialist politics.