This book examines the relationship between free markets anddemocracy. It demonstrates how the implementation of even verypainful free-market economic reforms in Chile and Mexico havehelped to consolidate democratic politics without engendering abacklash against either reform or democratization. Thisnational-level compatibility between free markets and democracy,however, is founded on their rural incompatibility. In thecountryside, free-market reforms socially isolate peasants to sucha degree that they become unable to organize independently, and arevulnerable to the pressures of local economic elites. This helps tocreate an electoral coalition behind free-market reforms that iscritically based in some of the market's biggest victims: thepeasantry. The book concludes that the comparatively stablefree-market democracy in Latin America hinges critically on itsdefects in the countryside; conservative, free-market elites mayconsent to open politics only if they have a rural electoralredoubt.

To those who study or work in government regulation of business,the Federal Trade Commission has been of intense interest since1969. Regarded before 1969 as dormant and ineffective, the FTC hasbecome widely viewed as a major agency focusing on problems thataffect most American consumers and businesses. This book, the workof Contributors under the editorship of Kenneth W. Clarkson andTimothy J. Muris, is a comprehensive attempt to analyse the'revitalized' FTC.

The political parties in Congress are as polarized as they havebeen in 100 years. This book examines more than 30 years ofcongressional history to understand how it is that the Democratsand Republicans on Capitol Hill have become so divided. It findsthat two steps were critical for this development. First, therespective parties' constituencies became more politically andideologically aligned. Second, members ceded more power to theirparty leaders, who implemented procedures more frequently and withgreater consequence. In fact, almost the entire rise in partypolarization can be accounted for in the increasing frequency ofand polarization on procedures used during the legislativeprocess.