"This book is a major contribution to the study of the politics of market reform in Latin America. Baker develops a consumption-based theory of mass attitudes towards market liberalization, and he employs survey data and rigorous analytical tools to explain why citizens support some types of market reforms - namely, free trade - but oppose others, particularly the privatization of public utilities and state-owned enterprises. Although patterns of support and opposition are shaped by pragmatic considerations of material interests, what matters is not the impact of reforms on labor markets and employment opportunities, but rather their impact on prices, quality, and the availability of goods and services. This consumption-based theory sheds new light on a series of important questions that have perplexed scholars who study the political economy of development, including the sources of public support for market liberalization, the erosion of class cleavages in the political arena, and the potential social bases of new popular movements that contest the neoliberal model. This book is a must-read for any scholar who seeks to understand these questions." Kenneth Roberts, Cornell Universityof new popular movements that contest the neoliberal model. This book is a must-read for any scholar who seeks to understand these questions." Kenneth Roberts, Cornell Universityof new popular movements that contest the neoliberal model.

This book is a must-read for any scholar who seeks to understand these questions." Kenneth Roberts, Cornell Universityof new popular movements that contest the neoliberal model. This book is a must-read for any scholar who seeks to understand these questions." Kenneth Roberts, Cornell University.