Pablo Beramendi is Professor of Political Science at Duke University. His publications include several books such as The Political Geography of Inequality (2012); the Politics of Advanced Capitalism (2015-co-edited), Geography, Capacity and Inequality (2022) and over twenty articles in leading scientific journals. Prof. Beramendi is the recipient of several APSA awards, an Associate Member at Nuffield College (Oxford) and a Senior Fellow at the Institutions and Political Research Group at the University of Barcelona. Carles Boix is the Robert Garrett Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. His publications include several books such as Democratic Capitalism at the Crossroads, Political Order and Inequality, and Democracy and Redistribution, and over thirty articles in leading scientific journals. Prof. Boix has received the William Riker award for the best book on political economy twice have and the Heinz Eulau award for best article published in the American Political Science Review twice. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Director of the Institutions and Political Research Group at the University of Barcelona.

• 1. Twisted modernization: an introduction Pablo Beramendi and Carles Boix; 2. Gerschenkron in the peninsula: Spain´s paths to industrialization Carles Boix; 3. Industrialization and labour quality Jordi Domènech and Alfonso Herranz-Loncán; 4. Taxation, debt, and political fragmentation: Spain's fiscal underdevelopment Pablo Beramendi and Didac Queralt; 5. Constitutions: exclusion, collusion, and inclusion Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca; 6. Who governs? Regime change and the power of business, military and political elites in 20th century Spain Álvaro La Parra-Pérez and Victoria Paniagua; 7. Money and political influence: the political economy of Spanish banks Guillermo Rosas and Sebastián Lavezzolo; 8. Judicial politics and bureaucracies in Spain Joan-Josep Vallbé; 9. Media and democracy Pablo Fernández-Vázquez, Amuitz Garmendia Madariaga, and Pedro Riera; 10. Corruption Jordi Muñoz and Pilar Sorribas-Navarro; 11. Inequality in the long run: roots and challenges Pablo Beramendi and Luis Guirola; 12. A demographic cliff Alícia Adserà and Mariona Lozano; 13. Territorial conflict in Spain: individual preferences and institutions Francesc Amat and Laia Balcells; 14. Twisted modernization: conclusions Pablo Beramendi and Carles Boix.

'Twisted Modernization offers a timely and clear-eyed account of Spain's uneven path to modernity. It unpacks how deep institutional legacies, political fragmentation and regional tensions have shaped and constrained the country's development. But its insights extend well beyond Spain. This volume is a sharp, comparative reflection on why some democracies struggle to translate modernization into inclusive and sustained progress. It's essential reading for scholars of political economy, European politics and institutional reform in advanced democracies.' Catherine E. De Vries, Generali Chair in European Policies at Bocconi University