"Rich in nuanced, contextually sensitive analysis, and each of the case studies is written by a leading authority."--Abraham F. Lowenthal, from the foreword

Guillermo O'Donnell was a prominent Argentine political scientist who served as president of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) from 1988 to 1991, and was vice-president of the American Political Science Association (APSA) from 1999-2000. Philippe C. Schmitter is an Emeritus Professor of the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute. Laurence Whitehead is a professor at Nuffield College at Oxford University.