This book addresses two questions that are crucial to understanding Mexico's current economic and political challenges.

Stephen Haber is Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, and A. A. and Jeanne Welch Milligan Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. He is also Senior Fellow of the Stanford Center for International Development, Director of Stanford's Program in Social Science History, and a Research Economist of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Mexican economic history and political economy.

1. The second Mexican revolution: economic, political, and social change since 1980; 2. Mexico before 1982: the political economy of authoritarian rule; 3. The causes and consequences of free trade; 4. The Mexican banking system: the politics and economics of financial underdevelopment; 5. The transformation of Mexican politics; 6. Health, education, and welfare in Mexico since 1980; 7. Democracy and development in Mexico: future challenges and the legacy of authoritarian rule.