George Philip was Emeritus Professor of Comparative and Latin American Politics at the LSE. In a distinguished academic career that spanned over 40 years, he became one of the leading Latin Americanists of his generation. Philip’s academic writings addressed key issues of Latin American politics and political economy. He introduced several generations of both undergraduate and postgraduate students to the politics of Latin America. He had the talent to make the complex politics of the region understandable and compelling for an audience that may have no previous knowledge of it.

• Introduction 1. The Rise and Collapse of Stabilising Government 2. Debt and Oil-Led Development: The Economy under Lopez Portillo 3. The Miguel de la Madrid Sexenio: Major Reforms or Foundation for Disaster? 4. Mexico’s 1986 Financial Rescue: Palliative or Cure? 5. The Economic Crisis and Mexican Labour 6. An Overview of the Mexican Agricultural Crisis 7. Agriculture and the Environment: The Mexican Experience 8. Industrial Decentralisation and Regional Policy, 1970–1986: The Conflicting Policy Response 9. Pemex and the Petroleum Sector 10. Policies of the Mexican Government towards the Northern Frontier Region of Mexico (NFRM) 11. Mexico’s Maquiladora Programme: A Critical Evaluation