This book is a must-read for scholars of legislative politics in Mexico and beyond. It offers a compelling and rich account of legislative effectiveness, backed by original data and careful empirical analysis. By placing opposition actors at the center of lawmaking, it challenges conventional wisdom and makes an important contribution to the study of representation in multi-party presidential systems.

Lucia Motolinia, Washington University in St. Louis, USA

The Power of Opposition draws on a wide body of qualitative data and empirical analyses to provide a fascinating analysis of the different institutional and personal factors that contribute to legislators successfully advancing their policy agendas in the Mexican national legislature. This book is incredibly valuable for anyone who seeks to understand legislative process and politics in Mexico. It will likewise serve as a template for others to build upon as they seek to explore the causes and consequences of legislative effectiveness in comparative political institutions.

Alan E. Wiseman, Vanderbilt University, USA

Who holds lawmaking power in multiparty legislatures? Kerevel and Bárcena Juárez construct a novel measure of legislative effectiveness to uncover surprising patterns of lawmaking success in the Mexican Congress. Their findings challenge conventional assumptions about coalition building, policy choice, and the strength of opposition legislators, while providing a replicable framework for studying effective lawmaking in legislatures around the world.

Craig Volden, University of Virginia, USA

The Power of Opposition makes two indispensable contributions to the study of legislative politics in presidential systems. Kerevel and Bárcena Juárez develop a theoretically grounded and empirically compelling argument that opposition legislators-not governing-party members-drive meaningful lawmaking. Equally important, they develop a replicable measure of legislative effectiveness that travels beyond the U.S. context. Essential reading for students of comparative legislatures.

Leslie Schwindt-Bayer, Rice University, USA