The Institute's Occasional Papers are intended mainly as working papers produced at an early stage of a research project, to communicate with and invite reaction from colleagues elsewhere. They can, however, also afford an opportunity to publish a lenghty piece of finished research which is too long for an article, yet shorter than a monograph. The majority of the Occassional Papers will be the work of members of staff, research fellows and graduate students at Glasgow University, particulary within the Institute. Since it is hoped to make the Ocassional Papers representative of ongoing research in Scotland on Latin American topics in the different disciplines, it is envisaged than members of staff with Latin American interests in other Scottish universities will be invited to contribute. At the same time, it is not our intention to be exclusive and we should like colleagues elsewhere to feel free to offer contributions.