"A trailblazing account of the transformation of Latin American society and politics by nongovernmental organizations over the past quarter century. This examination of the nonprofit sector, and its interaction with the for-profit and public sectors, highlights the importance of private research centers (PRCs) within the nexus of higher education and nonprofit privatization policies. Author argues that PRCs perform many important tasks in the process of development, particularly in the areas of private finance, international philanthropy, market mechanisms, and nongovernmental policymaking. Well researched with a useful bibliography on the subject"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.