Germán Vergara, Fueling Mexico: Energy and Environment, 1850–1950 Cambridge University Press, 2021, pp. xii + 322

itical and economic domains, changes to political institutions are needed that can enhance the likelihood of strategic and effective economic policy. Until then, the incentives toward parochialism, oligopolistic firm structures and the continued use of the developmentalist toolkit are likely to continue to drag down any attempt to achieve a more satisfying economic take-off. Lastly, the book brings important theoretical and empirical contributions to not only those studying Brazil but, more broadly, those interested in the political economy of non-Western countries and the possibilities of reforms that would overcome long-standing hurdles to economic (and democratic) progress.