Latin America's Quest for Globalisation: The Role of Spanish Firms

Over the course of the 1990s and the beginning of the century, Spanish investment in Latin America has grown in industries as diverse as telecommunications, energy, banking, and tourism and in nearly every country in the region. This collection presented by Martin (international relations, Florida International U.) and Toral (international studies, Beloit U.) reviews the motivations and impact of this Spanish investment. Fourteen chapters consider such topics as theoretical frameworks for understanding the transformation of the Spanish economy and foreign direct investment in Latin America, asset and credit allocation by big Spanish banks in Brazil, Spanish foreign policy in Latin America, stakeholder impact of Spanish firm Telefonica's Latin American investments, challenges for Spanish investments in the Latin American energy industry, the socio-political dimension of Spanish direct investment in Latin America, and the Latin American image of Spain in the aftermath of recent investments. Annotation c2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

FAclix E. MartA-n, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at Florida International University, USA. Pablo Toral, Ph.D. is Mouat Junior Chair of International Studies in the Department of Political Science, Beloit College, USA.