Description
Book SynopsisA groundbreaking historical narrative of corruption and economic success in Mexico, this book provides a new way to understand the scope and impact of crony capitalism on institutional development in Mexico.
Trade Review“This is a compelling case study of crony capitalism in Mexico, one that previously has not been studied at such length. Galindo makes a convincing argument that neither the neo-institutionalists nor those who focus on social networks fully capture the structural foundations for Mexican capitalism. Formal institutions were often much stronger than neo-institutionalists recognize, according to Galindo, though they were too weak to curb the crony capitalism and corruption endemic to Mexican modernization, as other scholars might argue. In this, Galindo stakes important new ground that seeks to understand social networks and institutions in relation to each other.”
—Susan M. Gauss, author of
Made in Mexico: Regions, Nation, and the State in the Rise of Mexican Industrialism, 1920s–1940s “This study helps explain one of the most intractable problems in Mexican history over the last century and a half, which is the marriage of business and politics at the highest levels. The author explores the trajectory of one of the most powerful business families that has survived and prospered in Mexico and hence helps to explain legacies of oligopolies, political authoritarianism, and corruption in the long run.”
—Carlos Marichal Salinas, author of
Bankruptcy of Empire: Mexican Silver and the Wars between Spain, Britain and France, 1760–
1810“An impressive and amply documented study of the migration of French capital to Mexico. Galindo focuses on the Jean family and its ties to other immigrant ‘Barcelonnettes’ to draw out the broader implications of crony capitalism for Mexico and elsewhere. Empirically informed and theoretically sophisticated, Galindo's work will be of interest to a wide range of students in history, development studies, and political science alike.”
—Richard J. Salvucci, author of
Politics, Markets, and Mexico's "London Debt," 1823–1887 “JosÉ Galindo's detailed historical analysis of crony capitalism in Mexico broadens our understanding of the development and dynamic of this important pattern of corruption. Focusing on the Jean family from the French region of Barcelonnette, the study masterfully highlights not only businesses adapt to weak formal institutions, but the nature of the informal institutions that forge close and reciprocal relationships linking business to state officials. The book contributes to recent historical works on corruption in Mexico focusing on cultural factors by emphasizing the underlying institutional causal factors and tracing the political and economic consequences of crony capitalism.
Ethnic Entrepreneurs, Crony Capitalism, and the Making of the Franco-Mexican Elite is a must read for those interested in the history of corruption in Mexico.”
—Stephen D. Morris, author of
Gringolandia: Mexican Identity and Perceptions of the United States
