Download The Mexican State

Comparative Politics:
Domestic Responses to
Global Challenges, Seventh
Edition
by Charles Hauss
Chapter 16:
Mexico
Learning Objectives
After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
• Evaluate the assets and liabilities of the Mexican state in
dealing with present-day situations
• Define the challenges facing Mexico
• Summarize the history of the development of Mexico’s
regime and politics
• Describe the Institutional Revolutionary Party and
explain both its long-term hold on power and reasons
why its political power has been successfully challenged
• Describe the present state of political competition in
Mexico
• Identify the major public policy challenges facing Mexico
and the reasons those issues are challenging
• Assess the role of the U.S.–Mexican relationship on
Mexican politics and policy making
A Potentially Devastating Crisis?
•
As of 2009, Mexico faces a host of
problems that impact how effectively the
state can govern:
–
The economic crisis
•
•
–
–
40% of gross income comes from oil
2nd largest foreign income source is remittances
from Mexicans living in the U.S.
The war on drugs
Paralyzed government
Thinking about Mexico
The Basics
•
Poverty
–
Not as poor as most less-developed countries
–
For the past 20 years stagnation has been the
norm
–
Continued poverty: Lack of access to safe drinking
water, lack of adequate housing and healthcare
–
Cities are overcrowded
–
Massive debt
Thinking about Mexico
The Basics
•
Diversity
– Rugged country
– 12% of land is arable
– Minerals and petroleum
– Variety of ethnic heritages
•
–
–
Mestizos
5% to 10% speak native languages
Indian influence more noticeable than in
the United States
Thinking about Mexico
The Basics
•
Big brother is watching
– U.S.–Mexican relationship
– Economic interdependence
– Mexican immigration to the U.S.
•
•
–
–
As many as 9 million Mexicans living in the
United States
$9 billion goes back to Mexico
Cross border drug traffic
“Dependent psychology”
Thinking about Mexico
Key Questions
•
Why did the PRI win so consistently and stay in
power for so long?
•
How and why did forces undermining PRI rule
emerge, culminating in the PAN’s victories in the
last two presidential elections?
•
Why did 3 successive presidents embrace
structural adjustment?
•
How have those economic reforms addressed
Mexico’s poverty and other needs?
•
How have events of the past two decades affected
the Mexico–U.S. relationship?
The Evolution of Mexican Politics
The Colonial Era
•
1,000 years ago Mayan civilianization which
gave way to the Aztecs
–
•
Spanish incorporated native population into
an elaborate hierarchy
–
•
Exploitative mercantilist empire
Catholic Church owned 1/3 of the country and
forced Catholicism
–
•
Elaborate system of courts, tax collectors, and
political-military administrators
Haciendas
Spanish not effective colonial leaders and
were never able to secure rule throughout the
country
The Evolution of Mexican Politics
Independence
•
Independence battles began in 1810
•
A century of civil war, invasion, and chaos
followed
–
•
•
•
Social and economic problems festered
Santa Anna and loss of territory to the U.S.
Intervention of Europeans in 1864
Stable, military dictatorship under Porfirio
Diaz (1876–1911)
–
–
–
–
Non-reelection
Foreign investment
Modern economic infrastructure
Rurales
The Evolution of Mexican Politics
The Revolution
•
Populist rebels, labor unions, and
upper-class liberals led 1911 revolution
–
–
–
–
Zapata, Villa, Madero, and Carranza
Wilson administration interference 1914
1.5 million deaths in the countryside
1916 Carranza defeated Zapata and Villa
and occupied Mexico City
The Evolution of Mexican Politics
The Revolution
•
Institutionalizing the revolution
–
Constitution of 1917 has survived
•
•
•
–
Power of church limited
Foreigners no longer allowed to own Mexican land or
mineral resources
Legalization of the break up of haciendas
Political turmoil led to establishment of what would
become the PRI and the PRI system in 1929
•
•
•
Single-party control access to political office, various
groups within the party would win some of them
No president could serve more than six years
President would select successor
The Evolution of Mexican Politics
Cárdenas and His Legacy
•
Land reform
•
Nationalization of oil industry (PEMEX)
•
PRI established “Confederation of
Mexican Workers” and two peasant
organizations
•
Retired after sexeño ended
•
Reforms did little to eliminate poverty
The Evolution of Mexican Politics
An Institutional Revolutionary Party
•
Revolution was “institutionalized”
•
Eleven presidents since 1940
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Alemanista model—industrialization/trickle-down theory,
state ownership of a few industries and state control over
private sector
All presidents repressed opposition to PRI rule
Under Portillo Alemanista model collapsed when debt
skyrocketed
IMF and conditions
De la Madrid—spoke of democratic and market reforms, only
made progress with the latter
1997 Congressional election—end of a political era
200 elections—lost the presidency
The Evolution of Mexican Politics
An Institutional Revolutionary Party
•
Stability and continuity resulted from
PRI’s hold on power
•
Social reform became less important
•
Elitist governance
•
Corruption and rigged elections
•
State-run economy faltered as
globalization grew
Political Culture
•
Only third-world country included in Gabriel
Almond and Sidney Verba’s path-breaking study
National identity a powerful force in sustaining PRI
rule
•
-
-
•
Widespread legitimacy
-
•
•
•
Social and economic changes eroded some of these
values
Common language, mass culture, history, and religion
Revolutionary figures viewed as heroes
Revolution is used to describe anything positive
Authoritarianism and charismatic leadership
Male-dominated political system
Patron-client relations; camarillas as PRI base
Political Culture
•
Political sub-cultures (using Almond and
Verba’s typology)
-
-
Parochials: Indians not well integrated into
Mexican system
Subjects: Majority who tolerate the system
(elderly, poor, women, peasant farmers)
PRI participants: Beneficiaries of the party and
its dominance
Emerging anti-PRI subculture
Political Participation
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Basic freedoms of liberal democracy
Everyone 18 and older has the right to vote
Open and heated press
Human rights violations
PRI usually did not have to rely on the use of
force to keep opponents out of office
Election fraud
Little opportunity for political dissent
Political Participation
The PRI and its Hold on Power
•
Rigged elections when necessary
•
Organized around a network of camarillas
(patron-client networks)
•
Control of Federal Electoral Commission
•
Electoral victories legitimized PRI rule
•
Opposition of late 1980’s
•
1990’s reforms
–
Independent Federal Electoral Institute
Political Participation
The PRI and its Hold on Power
•
Corporatism was mutually beneficial to party
and members
– PRI associations
– Provided tangible benefits to group
members
– Tied peasants and workers to regime to
control protest
– Groups were recruiting ground for
leadership
– Control eroded with market-oriented
policies and as civil society expanded
Political Participation
The PRI and its Hold on Power
•
21st century
–
–
–
Fined $92 million for illegal campaign
practices
Declining base of support
Surprising recovery in 2009 legislative
elections
Political Participation
The Other Parties
•
PAN
–
Formed in 1939 to oppose Cárdenas’s reforms
–
Backed by business and Catholic interests, gained
support from President Reagan
–
Strongest in North and wealthy urban areas
–
First success in 1983 local elections
–
Quarter of the vote in 1994 and 1997,
breakthrough in 2000
–
Fox’s leadership galvanized party energies
–
Electoral reforms paved the way for successes
–
2006 PRD accused PAN of electoral fraud; courts
declared Calderon the winner
Political Participation
The Other Parties
•
PRD
– Left-wing of PRI broke away to form party
in 1986
– PRD lost in 1988 because of electoral fraud
– Leadership of Cuautémoc Cárdenas was
key attraction
– PRD holds balance of power in legislature
– Controls a number of cities
– Obrador
Political Participation
Civil Society in Mexico
• Unlikely to return to corporatist,
camarilla-based PRI dominance
• Emergence of civil society
–
Women’s movement
The Mexican State
•
•
•
No changes in state structure
United States and Mexican
governments similar on paper
Semi-authoritarian, one-party state until
recently due to informal arrangements
The Mexican State
Non-reelection and Presidential Domination
•
Key features of Mexican state
•
President appoints all bureaucratic and judicial
positions—a whole new team every term
•
Mexican president far more powerful than U.S.
–
–
–
•
Initiates legislation
Issue decrees
Transfer funds and authorize expenditures
Cycle of presidency
–
–
–
First year/year and a half—assemble team
Next few years—implement policy
Last few years—plan for succession
The Mexican State
Non-reelection and Presidential Domination
•
All three major parties now hold primaries
•
Post-1999 primary elections to choose
presidential candidates have changed
process, but not power of office
•
PAN presidents have struggled with
legislature for power
FIGURE 16-1 Traditional Decision Making in Mexico
The Mexican State
The Cabinet, the Bureaucracy and the Judiciary
•
Bureaucracy was part of PRI machine
•
Massive appointment powers meant nearly everyone
in government owed jobs to someone above them
(Camarilla networks)
•
Bureaucracy manned by political appointees from top
to bottom
•
Tremendous turnover, hard to develop expertise
•
Without the PRI organization, Fox had difficulty filling
positions; many bureaucrats remained in place
•
Supreme court has unused power of judicial review
•
More court independence since 1990s
The Mexican State
Congress and the Legislative Process
•
Rubber stamp for PRI policies
•
Non-reelection guaranteed policy
inexpertise
•
Prior to 1997 worked like a
parliamentary system
•
Gridlock since ’97 because of a lack of
majority
•
No tradition of compromise decision
making
The Mexican State
The Federal System
•
31 states plus federal district, local
municipalities
•
Most state and local governments still
dominated by PRI
•
PAN and PRD have won more and
more elections in last decade
The Mexican State
The Military
•
Repeatedly intervened in Mexican
politics into the 20th century
•
Has been depoliticized
•
High-ranking officers close to drug
cartels, although police force is much
more deeply involved
•
In 2008 and 2009 military took over on
law enforcement for war on drugs
The Mexican State
Corporatism and Corruption
•
Spoils system
•
Mismanagement of public enterprises
•
Recent presidents have tried to crack
down
The Mexican State
The Fox Presidency: An Assessment
•
Critics felt he was not an effective leader,
especially dealing with the opposition
•
Supporters cite problems beyond his control
•
Struggled through first real political change
since 1920’s
•
Fox and his team were not good at
negotiating and bargaining
•
Mexico could become a failed state
Public Policy
Debt and Development: Early Success of State-Sponsored
Industrialization
•
Mexican model of stable development gone with
decline in oil prices in 1980’s
•
1940’s development aided by wartime demand for
goods
–
–
Did not take over company for ideological reasons
Privately-owned companies integrated in corporate
system
•
•
•
Economic growth of 6% a year 1940–80
Social justice issues ignored
Income distribution unequal
•
Traffic and pollution
Public Policy
Debt and Development: Ongoing Crisis
•
Mismanagement of state industries
•
Debt crisis
•
Drawn into global economy
•
Portillo’s assumption that oil prices would
remain high, but prices declined
–
–
–
Nationalized banks
Earthquake
Price of oil fell even more
Public Policy
Reform
•
Mexico adopted structural adjustment earlier and
more wholeheartedly than other developing countries
•
Debt reduction
•
Sharp cuts in government spending
–
•
Kept deficit low, social services cut
Privatization
–
–
•
Over 1,100 parastatals in ’85; 100 in 2009
Retains control of PEMEX
Opening up the economy to foreign investment
–
1994 NAFTA—all trade barriers eliminated by 2010
–
Wages are 1/8 of those in the U.S.
Public Policy
Reform
•
Inflation down; growth rates respectable
•
More visible middle class
•
Real wages down
•
Under or unemployment 40%
•
Malnutrition
•
Income distribution more unequal
•
No significant policy changes under PAN
•
Losing control of its own economy and
development to foreign investors
Public Policy
U.S.–Mexican Relations: Immigration and
Drugs
•
U.S. rarely dictates policy, but Mexico
follows because of its wealth and size
•
Recent relations peaceful and
cooperative, but historical conflicts
•
Unequal relationship
•
Four key themes of foreign policy
–
–
–
–
PRI rhetoric nationalistic
Estrada Doctrine 1930
Left-wing foreign policy
Wariness regarding the United States
Public Policy
U.S.–Mexican relations: Immigration and
Drugs
•
During times of economic expansion immigration policies
loosened
•
Times of high unemployment U.S. force immigrants out
again
•
Four major crackdowns: 1947, 1954, 1964, and 1986
–
•
2007 Immigration reform bill failed, as of summer 2009
Obama has not introduced any reforms
U.S. fears about cost of social services and “dilution” of
culture
Mexicans point out
•
•
–
–
–
•
1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act
They work in jobs Americans don’t want
U.S. has never fully acknowledged the benefits of immigration
U.S. does not address discrimination against Mexicans
Remittances are important in Mexico
Public Policy
U.S.–Mexican Relations: Immigration and
Drugs
•
Many of the drugs Americans consume come
from Mexico
–
–
•
•
Marijuana generates more money in some states
than legal crops
70% of Colombian and Peruvian cocaine crosses
Mexican border into U.S.
Drug trade amounts to $2 billion in additional
income for Mexicans
DEA operates inside Mexican territory
Feedback
•
Media ostensibly free of government
control
The mass-market press rarely took on
the PRI
•
–
–
•
•
PRI papers with information
Occasionally government clamped down
Number of independent outlets growing
More media not controlled by
government
Mexico and the Third World
•
•
Erosion of national sovereignty
Globalization and proximity to the U.S.
are main causes