Mexico S Democratic Challenges

"This book broadens our understanding of democracy in Mexico beyond the electoral arena and identifies some of the main challenges for defending and expanding democratic rights."--Neil Harvey, New Mexico State University.

Contemporary Mexico faces a complex crisis of violence and insecurity with high levels of impunity and the lack of an effective rule of law. These weaknesses in the rule of law are multidimensional and involve elements of institutional design, the specific content of the laws, particularities of political competition and a culture of legality in a country with severe social inequalities. This book discusses necessary institutional and legal reforms to develop the rule of law in a context of democratic, social and economic transformations. The chapters are organized to address: 1) The concept of the ‘rule of law’ and its measurement; 2) The fragility of the ‘rule of law’ in Mexico; 3) Structural reforms and implementation challenges; 4) Social exclusion and the culture of legality. The book addresses decision-makers, civil servants, consultants, scholars, lecturers, and students focusing on public policy, rule of law, sociology of law, legislative studies and practice, impunity, and areas of political philosophy. • The book presents an interdisciplinary and integrated approach for understanding the rule of law in Mexico, taking into account national particularities, the regional context and global comparisons. • Chapters discuss recent institutional reforms in Mexico from a critical point of view and explore possible next steps to achieve effective implementation. • This book addresses the links between a weak rule of law and social phenomena like insecurity, violence, corruption and democratic deficits.

A concise overview of political and economic developments in Mexico, highlighting the challenges posed by the county's recent democratic breakthrough.

Tracing the key themes and dynamics of a century of political development in Mexico, David Shirk explores the evolution of the party that ultimately became the vehicle for Fox's success.

This engaging book provides a broad and accessible analysis of Mexico's contemporary struggle for democratic development. Now completely revised, it brings up to date issues ranging from electoral reform and accountability to drug trafficking, migration, and NAFTA. It also considers the rapidly changing role of Mexico's mass and elite groups, and its national institutions, including the media, the military, and the Church.

In 2000, Mexico's long invincible Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) lost the presidential election to Vicente Fox of the National Action Party (PAN). The ensuing changeover--after 71 years of PRI dominance--was hailed as the beginning of a new era of hope for Mexico. Yet the promises of the PAN victory were not consolidated. In this vivid account of Mexico's recent history, a journalist with extensive reporting experience investigates the nation's young democracy, its shortcomings and achievements, and why the PRI is favored to retake the presidency in 2012.Jo Tuckman reports on the murky, terrifying world of Mexico's drug wars, the counterproductive government strategy, and the impact of U.S. policies. She describes the reluctance and inability of politicians to seriously tackle rampant corruption, environmental degradation, pervasive poverty, and acute inequality. To make matters worse, the influence of non-elected interest groups has grown and public trust in almost all institutions--including the Catholic church--is fading. The pressure valve once presented by emigration is also closing. Even so, there are positive signs: the critical media cannot be easily controlled, and small but determined citizen groups notch up significant, if partial, victories for accountability. While Mexico faces complex challenges that can often seem insurmountable, Tuckman concludes, the unflagging vitality and imagination of many in Mexico inspire hope for a better future.

Now in a thoroughly updated edition, this comprehensive and engaging text explores contemporary Mexico’s political development and examines the most important policy issues facing Mexico in the twenty-first century. The first half of the book traces Mexican political development after the 1910 Revolution and the creation of a single-party dominant system headed by the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). It includes detailed treatment of the “classic” PRI system’s characteristics, as well as a thorough account of the PRI’s demise and an insightful examination of how the country’s institutions evolved under two successive PAN (National Action Party) presidential administrations before returning to PRI rule. The second half of the book analyzes the most pressing policy issues confronting Mexican society today—including macroeconomic growth and stability, poverty and inequality, the development of civil society, combating drug trafficking, strengthening the rule of law, and migration—and weighs their influence on the future of democracy in Mexico. The text to this revised edition is richly supplemented by new figures and tables that illustrate broad political, social, and economic trends and by boxes that provide in-depth treatment of a variety of subjects and concepts. Readers will find this widely praised book continues to be the most current and accessible work available on Mexico's politics and policy. A test bank for instructors is available through [email protected]. A website with study guides and links to online resources is available at https://contemporarymexicanpolitics.wordpress.com

Second only to the Soviet Union, Mexico is the country most important to the security and well-being of the United States. Its stability is therefore a major concern. As Prospects for Democracy in Mexico documents, there are problems. This ancient Aztec nation now suffers the worst economic conditions since its revolution exploded in 1910. The economy has been as flat as a tortilla since the oil boom fizzled in the early 1980s, and the purchasing power of workers has declined 50 percent in recent years. Open and disguised unemployment afflicts nearly half of the 26-million-member workforce. External debt keeps upward pressure on interest rates, while the government and private sector must meet $12 billion annually in foreign-debt payments. Widespread pollution continues to contaminate the already fetid air of metropolitan areas such as Mexico City. Similar conditions in the United States or Western Europe would ignite demonstrations, catalyze strikes, and launch the careers of demagogic politicians. Mexico remains remarkably quiet-with discontent channeled though legitimate institutions such as the Congress, mass media, and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). This volume dissects the current situation and forecasts future developments. Diplomats, scholars, public officials, and businessmen contribute sixteen chapters and answer a number of the most critical questions. It is unlikely that this collection will be surpassed for comprehensive coverage and intellectual balance for years to come. It is supported by in-depth statistical tables covering every phase of Mexican life: from unemployment, religious affiliation, inflation rates, presidential electoral results, military expenditures, and the size of the armed forces. In addition, the volume concludes with a selected biography that Latin Americanists, political scientists, and policy-makers will find essential. George W. Grayson is the Class of 1938 Professor of Government at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. His books include The Mexican Labor Machine: Power, Politics, and Patronage (1989); Oil and Mexican Foreign Policy (1988); The United States and Mexico; Patterns of Influence (1984); and The Politics of Mexican Oil (1980)