Politics in Mexico

Description

Thoroughly grounded in Mexican history and based on extensive field research, this introduction examines the roots of Mexico's contemporary political culture and its democratic transformation. Now in its seventh edition, Politics in Mexico: The Path of a New Democracy has been revised and updated in order to address several major changes that have occurred since 2013, including the broad effort of Mexico to achieve a functional democracy; Peña Nieto's continued reliance on the armed forces to combat organized crime; an analysis of the 2018 presidential election and what López Obrador's victory means for Mexico; and the country's slow economic growth and the importance of emphasizing poverty as a central policy issue.

Authors Roderic Ai Camp and Shannan L. Mattiace provide an analysis of numerous aspects of Mexican political and economic development, highlighting controversial issues related to electoral democracy, drug-related violence, poverty, human rights, and the country's economic and political relationship with the U.S. Engagingly written by top scholars in the field, Politics in Mexico, Seventh Edition, is essential reading for students of Mexican or Latin American politics, comparative politics, and Mexican history.

New to this Edition

• Expanded coverage of women, economic and social successes and setbacks, human rights groups, and indigenous Mexicans
• Integration of video content into the text, including author interviews with prominent and historically important Mexican politicians
• A final chapter that attempts to explain why Mexico has never been able to achieve a consolidated democracy
• Linking of themes and interpretations in the text to Vanderbilt University's open access Latin American Public Opinion Project

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

1. Mexico in Comparative Context
Why Compare Political Systems?
Some Interpretations of the Mexican System
Mexico's Significance in a Comparative Context
Conclusion

2. Political-Historical Roots: The Impact of Time and Place
The Spanish Heritage
Nineteenth-Century Political Heritage
The Revolutionary Heritage: Social Violence and Reform
The Politics of Place: Interface with the United States
Conclusion

3. Contemporary Political Culture: What Mexicans Believe and Their Consequences for Democracy
Legitimacy: Support for a Democratic Political System
Participation: Activating the Electorate
Democracy: What Does It Mean for Mexicans?
Conclusion

4. Political Attitudes and Their Origins: Interest, Knowledge, and Partisanship
Income and Politics
Education and Politics
Religion and Politics
Gender and Politics
Region and Politics
Age and Politics
Conclusion

5. Rising to the Top: The Recruitment of Political Leadership in a Democratic Mexico
The Formal Rules
Informal Credentials: What Is Necessary to Rise to the Top in Mexican Politics
The Rise of Women
The Camarilla: Political Networking in Mexico
The Rise and Decline of the Technocrat
Conclusion

6. Groups and the State: An Altered Relationship in a Democratic Polity?
The Residue of Corporatism
Institutional Voices
- The Military
- The Church
- Business
- Organized Labor
- Intellectuals and the Media
Voices of Dissent
- Nongovernmental Organizations
- Social Movements
- Drug Trafficking Organizations
Conclusion

7. Mexico's Political Institutions: The Structure of Decision-Making
The Executive Branch
The Legislative Branch
The Judicial Branch
Federalism
Conclusion

8. Expanding Participation: The Electoral Process
Electoral Reforms
The Democratic Transition and the 1988 and 1994 Presidential Elections
The Establishment of Electoral Democracy: A Stepping Stone to a Functional Democracy
Electoral Democracy and the Role of Elections
Parties: Their Origins and Future in a Democratic Political Context
- National Action Party
- Democratic Revolutionary Party
- Institutional Revolutionary Party
Conclusion

9. External Politics: Relations with the United States
National Security Issues
Cultural Interface
Economic Linkages
Conclusion

10. Political and Economic Modernization: A Revolution?
Bases for Economic Modernization
The Rise of Economic Liberalization
Democratization
Mexico's Electoral Democracy and the Future

Bibliographic Essay
Index