William C. Smith received currently teaches Latin American politics at the University of Miami. Smith received his Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. He is the author of Authoritarianism and the Crisis of the Argentine Political Economy (Stanford University Press, 1991) and the editor of numerous volumes on democracy, market-oriented restructuring, and contentious politics in Latin America, including Latin American Democratic Transformations (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009). His articles have been appeared in numerous journals, including: Studies in Comparative International Development, Revista Mexicana de Sociología, Dados, Desarrollo Económico, Political Power and Social Theory, Contexto Internacional, Fuerzas Armadas y Sociedad, Nueva Sociedad, América Latina Hoy, and the Latin American Research Review. Smith is the editor of Latin American Politics and Society.

Laura Gómez-Mera currently teaches International Political Economy at the University of Miami. Gómez-Mera received her D.Phil in Politics and International Relations at Oxford University. Her articles have been published in a number of journals, including Review of International Political Economy, Latin American Politics and Society, Journal of Latin American Studies and Journal of International Relations and Development. Gómez-Mera is a member of the editorial board of Latin American Politics and Society.