"During the 1990s two independent political economic processes converged in Latin America: expansion of business privatization and growing flows of Spanish direct investment. The convergence of these forces is the focal juncture of Toral s study. Toral advances a rigorous theoretical model and a rich empirical analysis of an important question in the international political economy of Iberoamerica and successfully ... Read moreaccomplishes his analysis in splendidly crafted and elegantly written chapters. This is an important contribution to the theory-building process in international relations in general and in international political economy in particular. Rarely does a book muster both empirical richness and theoretical rigor. An original and refined example of the successful accomplishment of these scholarly canons." - Félix Martín, Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations, Florida International University Show Less