El Instituto de Estudios Económicos del Caribe -IEEC- se complace en invitarlos este viernes 4 de Marzo a la conferencia titulada: British Railways in Colombia: A Reinterpretation of the Utility of British Investment in the Colombian Railway Sector Conferencistas: Andrew Primmer Estudiante de Doctorado en University of Bristol Resumen:The orthodox opinion on the history of railways in Colombia posits that their failure was largely a result of the technology being unsuitable for the Colombian environment. If this were the case we would see evidence within the profitability of the railways. This paper presents quantitative analysis of novel sources from the London Stock Exchange Archive of British registered railway companies operating in Colombia. These data suggest that the opposite was true, that in spite of engineering challenges railway companies were profitable. The data also demonstrates sufficient profitability to compare favourably with railway companies elsewhere in the Latin American region. This new information raises a question. If the Colombian railway network was profitable why did it fail to expand as was the case in other countries in Latin America. The paper argues that the explication can be found in the institutional character of Colombia. It argues that fragile property rights for foreign companies as well as Colombia’s poor reputation in international capital markets inhibited foreign investment in the sector. Lugar: Salón 12E Hora: 10:30 AM ¡El IEEC cuenta con su presencia! Entrada libre Informes: [email protected]; [email protected]