Since the death of Franco, on 20 November 1975, Spain has undergone substantial transformation. This is reflected in the way in which many of the political and economic institutions which characterised nearly forty years of Francoism have been either swept away or modified along democratic lines.

Largely as a result of these changes, the world in general, and Europe in particular, has focused increasing attention on Spanish affairs. Spain is once more regarded as ‘respectable’. Former barriers to international relations have been gradually removed as the country, for several years now a member of the Council of Europe and NATO, establishes herself as a member of the EEC. While post-Franco Spain saw intrinsic value in democratising her many outdated institutions, the determination to secure integration with Europe injected an extra dimension of urgency into the task of modernising the country's political and economic structures.

Thus, it appears an appropriate time to publish a reference work which describes and examines the political and economic institutions of post-Franco Spain, something which, we believe, has not been attempted before, at least in English. We expect that this publication will be of value and interest to all those who need to be informed about the new institutional framework of contemporary Spain.