Corporatism is examined here in every aspect, in theory and in practice, beginning with its history and continuing with its sociology, ideology and political economy. The scholarship is detailed and thorough. The general thrust accords with the "tradition of seeking a more realistic interpretation of Latin American politics and social change, of reconciling or seeking to show the crazy-quilt patterns of an area where both democratic institutions and authoritarian, elitist, and corporatist ones have been strong."