ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book presents a detailed analysis of the way in which Mexico's experiences with internationalisation shaped – to varying degrees and in particular ways – its transition to democracy. It deals with mechanism-based explanations of democratisation. The book analyses the role North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) may have played in shaping Mexico's economic structures and in fuelling its development. It presents the fact that NAFTA was originally negotiated by an undemocratic Mexican government has hindered NAFTA's capacity to act as a positive influence at social level. The book argues that the sensitivity to foreign leverage amongst the Mexican elites during the negotiating stages of NAFTA was like nothing that has happened before or since. It discusses how different changes in economic structures can impact democratic transitions.
