This fine book makes an important contribution both to the comparative literature on the quality of democracy in post-transition settings and to the growing literature on comparative business politics in Latin America. By deftly weaving together new archival evidence and interview material, Shadlen provides a fresh—and provocative—angle on the challenges that free-market economic reforms and political democratization pose for small business in developing countries. The book makes a convincing case that the democratization of authoritarian-corporatist regimes can ironically weaken the representation of small business in the policy arena. This, in turn, has sobering implications both for the quality of democracy and for overall economic performance, especially in terms of employment generation.”
—Richard Snyder,Brown University
“This criticism aside, the book is a valuable contribution to debates about business, democracy, and development.”
—Peter Kingstone Political Science Quarterly
“These two monographs on government-business relations in contemporary Mexico (Shadlen’s Democratization Without Representation and Macleod’s Downsizing the State) share the same publisher as well as the virtues of careful research and documentation, creative synthesis of theoretical strands from political science, economic sociology and new institutional economics, an explicit comparative angle and accessibility for non-area specialists. These books can be confidently recommended as texts in graduate courses on comparative politics, sociology of economic organizations, business management and public administration.”
—Kun-Chin Lin Political Studies Review
“The book represents a thorough and comprehensive study of small industry politics in Mexico, drawing from more than 100 interviews and extensive archival research. . . . [The book makes] an important contribution to the study of Mexican political economy and will be of great interest to scholars of that discipline.”
—Caroline Beer Perspectives on Politics
“Given the extent and depth of the author’s contribution to understanding small industrialists from the inside out, Democratization Without Representation is very much a worthwhile read. Shadlen has presented us with a big book on small business.”
—Francisco Durand Journal of Latin American Studies
