Entrepreneurs and Politics in Twentieth-Century Mexico [Hardcover]

Based on six years of research, including interviews with leading Mexican entrepreneurial and political leaders and the assessment of hitherto unavailable materials, this work focuses on the complex political relationship between the Mexican state and leading businessmen from the 1920s to the present. Analyzing nearly 3000 biographies to compare Mexico's two leading competitors for political power, the author uses a humanistic approach to test a number of assumptions about the relationship between the business community and the state and provides new insights into the existence of a power elite, the exchange between economic and political leaders, the self-image of Mexican entrepreneurs, the position of family-controlled firms, and the influence of capitalists on the decision-making process. Camp also provides detailed information on the ownership of Mexico's top 200 firms, including names of stockholders, board members, and managers.

A readable work, suitable for students in business and social sciences or as a primer for someone who might want to undertake a business relationship in Mexico. It is particularly appealing to an economist because it offers explanations for the fluctuations in policy that individuals involved in multinational ventures find so frustrating. --Choice

An important book on the political role of the Mexican private sector which is significantly more ambitious than many others. --Hispanic American Historical Review

Presents a vast quantity of new data on Mexican entrepreneurs culled from interviews and biographical data. For those interested in the political role of the Mexican private sector, it is an important book that is significantly more ambitious than others on this topic. --Political ScienceQuarterly

Skillfully conceived, carefully documented, and artfully written...This seminal work...promises to chart new ground and eclipse what were thought to be the defil£Ñ