Mexico

1
Mexico
Mexico doesn't deserve what has happened to us.
A democratic change is urgent, a change that will
permit us to stop being a loser country. Vicente
Fox, President of Mexico 2000-2006

• revolutionary

2
A classic NIC marked by dualism

• 9th largest economy
• 8th biggest producer of oil
• Largest Spanish-speaking country
• Export-led growth
• Industrial service-based economy
• Predominantly mestizo Catholic - sharp
  divisions of wealth

3
Political Development

• Precolonial Era Mayan Aztec empires
  sophisticated hierarchical
• Spanish Occupation (16th c. 1821) Cortes
  arrived in 1519 with horses, guns diseases -
  easily conquered Mexico
• Spanish native Americans mestizo
• Catholicism
• Mexican revolutionaries win independence from
  Spain (1810-1821)
• Independence and War (1821-1848) internal
  political economic unrest keeps Mexico weak
• Conflicts with the US over Texas lead to war of
  1846-1848?Mexico loses ½ of its land to the US
• France, Britain, Spain demand reparations
  ?revolutionary movement creates a stronger, more
  democratic Mexico in response
• The Porfiriato (1877-1910) military govt led by
  Jose de la Cruz Porfirio Diaz creates political
  stability economic growth
• political freedom curtailed?all but the rich are
  unhappy?revolution

4

• Mexican Revolution Civil War (1910-1917)
• Came from middle/upper classes angry over heavy
  foreign influence (led by Madero, who was
  assassinated for lack of reform)
• US coup puts Huerta in office brutal corrupt
  regime leads to civil war with Zapata, Pancho
  Villa Carranza leading the fight against him
  1 million die, Carranza takes over
• Mexican constitution of 1917 becomes the basis of
  govt, based on the US Constitution many
  believe the revolution is ongoing since its goals
  have not yet been fully realized
• Stabilizing the Revolution (1924-1940) reforms,
  but not enough
• 1929 National Revolutionary Party morphs into the
  Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) governs
  Mexico until 2000
• Industries brought under state control to reduce
  foreign influence, Pemex created in 1938 US
  boycotts Mexican oil
• Portillo the Oil Crisis (1976-1982) steady
  economic growth with underlying structural
  problems leads to discontent?govt cracks down
• Economic problems create large national debt
  defaults on loans, prompting other 3rd World
  countries to do the same

5
Mexico Today

• Mexico joined GATT in 1986 and the OECD NAFTA
  in 1994 after achieving a bigger GDP than Spain,
  India, S. Korea Russia
• Peso collapsed in 1994 US bailed them out to
  avoid defaults
• Drug-trafficking a major issue between Mexico
  the US
• Rebellion in Chiapas other poor southern states
  by the Zapatistas (led by Marcos) led to military
  occupation there
• Opposition parties appeared and PRI lost control
  of legislature in 1997 and Presidency in 2000
• Major political transformation under Fox (PAN),
  though not yet a liberal democracy because of
  poverty, high unemployment, govt corruption and
  poor public safety/human rights issues
• 2006 Felipe Calderon (PAN) wins narrow victory
  over leftist

6
Political Culture

• The Continuing Revolution since the goals of the
  Mexican revolution, as stated in the 1917
  constitution, havent been met, the revolution is
  still on!
• Nationalism anti-foreigner because of history
  (Spain, US, France, foreign investment)
• Hierarchy Elitism comes from the Catholicism
  authority emanates from God flows down
  class-based society that is paternalistic
  authoritarian
• The Corporatist State groups in society are
  incorporated into the system of govt they get
  privilege access (patronage) that others do not
  workers, peasants popular sector
  (professionals, middle class)
• Centralism Corruption power centralized in the
  ruling party revolves around camarillas groups
  of people with shared interests who support a
  particular leader (personality more important
  than ideology) aka patron-client or old boy
  network? corruption
• Machismo assertive masculinity, which leads to
  marginalization of women, political violence
  (revolution, assassinations, guerilla warfare,
  etc)

7
Political System

• Modeled on the US system federal republic with
  executive president, bicameral legislature,
  independent judiciary, checks balances,
  competing political parties
• Mexican presidency is much more powerful
  (appointments, decrees, state of emergency,
  patronage)
• Federal govt intervenes much more heavily in
  Mexicos 31 states than the US does)
• The Constitution adopted in 1917, it is the
  legacy of the Revolution the measuring stick
  for progress towards its goals
• Economic nationalism is a core principle
  (particularly vs. the US) so everything must be
  owned by Mexicans
• Gap between church state church has no legal
  standing
• Bars consecutive terms for president, Congress
  state/local govts.
• Easy to amend need only 2/3 vote of Congress,
  so its done a lot 350 amendments in 90 years

8
The Executive

• President dominates Mexican politics all power
  policy flows from him (presidencialismo) in
  exchange for loyalty
• Formal powers basically same as US, but much
  stronger
• An appoint dismiss Cabinet members, control
  party nominations for Congress governors,
  appoint leadership of Congress heads of state
  banks/industries
• Power of decree decides a law is enforced
• Emergency powers, state of emergency, uses
  military at will
• Serve a single six-year term, theoretically
  elected by the people but heavily controlled by
  exiting President primary election established
  in 1999
• All presidents (men) from politically prominent,
  urban, upper-middle-class families and served as
  govt bureaucrats

9
Legislature

• Looks like US Congress, but with less power
  under PRI just rubber-stamped party policies, but
  that is changing as opposition parties increase
  and become more assertive
• Became chief source of opposition to the
  President after 2000
• Bi-cameral
• Senate represents the states 128 members with 4
  from each of the 31 states and 4 from the federal
  district of Mexico City serve 6-year terms
• Chamber of Deputies represents the people 500
  members elected through direct, universal vote
  serve 3-year terms
• All members forbidden from serving consecutive
  terms, but can skip a term run for re-election
• Limited staff relies heavily on executive
  branch for information

10

• Judiciary

• Subnational Govt.

• Plays supporting role in govt generally
  protects elites
• Supreme Court 11 members appointed by
  President for 15-year terms
• Circuit courts of appeal district courts of 1st
  instance judges appointed by Supreme Court for
  renewable 4-year terms
• Based on Roman civil law tradition (unwritten,
  adversarial, built on precedent)
• Unique amparo suit for protection

• 31 states Mexico City
• Each state has a governor elected for a 6-year
  term, a small unicameral Chamber of Deputies who
  serve 3-year terms municipos (city govts) no
  consecutive terms
• States generally dont defy federal govt
  decisions
• Federal Senate can remove a governor the
  President names successor
• Mexico City has 20 of the population, provides
  more than ½ of all federal revenues receives
  more than ½ of spending 40 of federal govt
  officials born there

11
Elections

• Major reforms since PRI lost power in 2000 have
  allowed opposition parties to gain more power,
  though there are still lots of corruption charges
  (major contest in the 07 pres. election)
• Presidential Election every 6 years in July
  each major party fields 1 candidate and it is
  straight winner-take-all contest among them
  (possible to get 50 of the vote win).
  President takes office in December long
  lame-duck turnout from 52-77
• Federal Congressional Elections
• Senate every 6 years (same as above) and all
  seats are contested at the same time 3 seats in
  each state go to majority party and 1 seat goes
  to 2nd place party
• Chamber every 3 years and all seats are
  contested at the same time using a complicated
  mixed system 300 determined by winner-take-all
  single-member districts and 200 by proportional
  representation (seats assigned by party)
• State Local elections municipal govts, state
  assemblies governors are elected on their own
  cycles

12
Parties

• Multiparty system since 1929 but dominated by PRI
  until 2000
• Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
  political control achieved through patronage
  corporatism has no fixed ideology, but follows
  the pendulum theory between conservative
  progressive politics governed by political
  centralism (makes all key decisions in govt).
  Rising voter turnout led to rise of opposition
  parties
• National Action Party (PAN) moderate, right-wing
  party founded in 1939 pro-clerical,
  pro-American, pro-business, limited govt in
  economy took control from PRI
• Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) leftist
  party merged from smaller ones in 1988 suffers
  from factional fighting
• Other parties Workers Party, Popular Socialist
  Party, Mexican Ecological Green Party, Democratic
  Center Party, Social Democracy havent yet
  achieved national support

13
Policy-making

• Policy generally made by a small political elite
  in a bureaucratic, authoritarian corporatist
  process led by the president working through the
  camarilla. That is changing in the 2000s because
  of the rise of opposition parties
• Economic policy driven by 2 underlying goals
• Calvo Doctrine foreigners involved in economic
  activities should place themselves on the same
  footing as the nationals of the country in which
  they do business
• Mixed economy where the govt owns key economic
  sectors but also encourages the growth of the
  private sector
• Economic policy has shifted dramatically over the
  years as privatization has transformed the
  economy it is now one of the freest economies,
  but the benefits have not trickled down to the
  people poverty is widespread
• Growth has come through several programs (pgs.
  314-318)

14

• Foreign Policy is driven by
• Universalism willingness to recognize other
  countries regardless of their ideological
  leanings to each his own keeps them
  relatively isolated in foreign affairs
• Support for leftist movements throughout Latin
  America
• nonalignment refusing to participate in
  international alliances during the Cold War
• Relationship to/reaction to the US Poor Mexico.
  So far from God and so near to the United States
  -Porfirio Diaz. The whole discussion is on pages
  318 320 of text
• Current concerns include
• Need for economic liberalization against the
  background of fragile economic growth
• Need for political liberalization against a
  background of changes in the expectations of
  Mexican consumers and voters
• Most importantly gaining regional power and
  international power through NAFTA and OECD