From the mid-1970s to the end of the 1980s, Latin America and other regions in the developing world experienced a long boom-bust cycle, the most severe since the 1920s and 1930s. The 1990s have experienced shorter but intense boom-bust cycles. This paper looks at the role of developing countries domestic policies in managing the pro-cyclical effects of externally generated boom-bust cycles. It draws on the recent literature and the experience of Latin America in the 1990s. It is divided into seven sections. The first two look at the international asymmetries that lie behind and the specific macroeconomics of boom-bust cycles in the developing world. The following sections look at the exchange rate regime, liability policies, prudential regulation and supervision and, fiscal stability. Brief conclusions are given in the final section.