"This is an excellent study in large part because the author has spoken to many of the actual actors involved in these transitions.... Her findings are crucially important." —Joy K. Langston, Latin American Research Review"A well-done work that would be a valuable addition to any library with Latin American holdings." —Choice"A fascinating study.... Olney challenges many of our ideas about the significance of local transitions from the ruling PRI to opposition parties in Mexico's national movement toward democracy."—Kathleen Bruhn, University of California, Santa BarbaraVicente Fox's 2000 election to the presidency in Mexico marked the end of more than 70 years of rule by the PRI, overturning what some observers referred to as "the perfect dictatorship." Since then, there has been much debate about the reasons for the PAN's successful challenge to decades of authoritarian rule. Patricia Olney makes a rich, nuanced contribution to that debate, explaining Mexico's transition to democracy from the perspective of municipal-level politics.