The past decade has seen a proliferation of trade talks, and at a multitude of different levels. The scope and complexity of the trade agenda have considerably expanded the Uruguay round. The activism of the "private" sector in the policy-making process has increased both at the national and international levels, hand-in-hand with the globalization of markets and the "privatization" of international economic relations. These issues, and how they impact on Latin America, form the main themes of the book.

This volume examines the interaction between private and public institutions in the trade policy-making process of eight Latin American countries and trade bargaining in sub-regional, hemispheric and multilateral fora. Faced with expanding trade agendas, diversifying negotiation fora, and an uncertain global economy, each country has found its own niche in regional integration and global insertion, providing a wealth of idiosyncratic and convergent policies.