Country Profile Population: 113.7 million (CIA, 2011) Capital: Mexico City 19.3 million Area: 758,449 sq miles Major religion: Christianity /Catholic 78%, Protestant 6.3% Life expectancy: 74 years (men), 79 years (women) (UN) mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1% GNI per capita: US $7,310 (World Bank, 2006) CPI 3.6 64/146 Freedom House: Partly Free -- Press Not free 2012 HDI 53/177

Thinking About Mexico Key Questions Why was the PRI so dominant for so long? What undermined that success? Why was structural adjustment embraced? How have those economic reforms addressed Mexico’s needs? How have events of the past two decades affected the Mexico-US relationship? Drug wars – is Mexico on the verge of becoming a failed state?

The Evolution of Mexican Politics The colonial era Independence The revolution Institutionalizing the revolution Cárdenas and his legacy An institutional revolutionary party

1519 - Cortez arrives 1821 – Mexican independence 1836 – loss of Texas 1848 – Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1878 – 1911 Dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz 1910 – 1920 Mexican Revolution 1917 Mexican Constitution 1929 – PRI started 1934 – 1940 President Cardenas

President Lazaro Cardenas 1934 – 1940 National Hero Land distribution to peasants Nationalized petroleum industry Encouraged formation of unions Extended influence of PRI to include all segments of society: middle class, workers, peasants, military “Egalitarianism” “corporatist” IGs become part of gov Sexenio tradition established Stood up to US

Political Culture National identity Authoritarianism Big Brother/ remittances Authoritarianism Strong presidency Patron-client relations “clientalism” “camarillas” Political sub-cultures

Economic Development 1940 – 1970s Industrialization and wealth accumulation encouraged. Import substitution policy. High economic growth rates “Mexican Miracle” Rural to urban High birth rate places strain on job growth 1970s new oil discovered in Gulf – let’s go borrow $$$!!

Economic (and other) Crisis – 1980-90s Presidents de la Madrid (1982-1988) and Carlos Salinas (1988 – 1994) reduce government’s role in the economy NAFTA – 1993 1994 financial crisis – peso declines, foreign investment flees country. Economy shrinks. American led bailout 1994 Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas 1994 PRI presidential candidate assassinated 1997 PRI loses majority in Cham of Deputies

PRI – Institutional Revolutionary Party Created out of chaos of revolution “sexanio” Accommodation --- unions/farmer groups Expands 1930 Vehicle for patronage and clientalism Economic upheavals of 1970s begins its decline Growing economic inequality and inflation Today party “dinosaurs” in decline

PAN (National Action Party) – founded 1939 PAN (National Action Party) – founded 1939. Business and clerical interests. Strong in north. Key charismatic leader Vicente Fox, first PAN president PRD (Party of the Democratic Revolution)– founded by Cardenas’ son. Splintered off PRI in 1986. Left-leaning anti NAFTA

Felipe Calderón Hinojosa Andrés Manuel López Obrador Roberto Madrazo Party PAN PRD PRI Home state Michoacán Tabasco States carried 16 15+DF Popular vote 15,000,284 14,756,350 9,301,441 Percentage 35.89% 35.31% 22.26 2006 Presidential Election – lots of changes from 2000

2012 Presidential

The Mexican State Non-reelection and presidential domination “sexanio” The cabinet, the bureaucracy and the judiciary Congress and the legislative process The federal system The military Corporatism and corruption

31 Federal states and Federal District (Mexico City)

Legislative Branch growing in power since late 1990s Chamber of Deputies Senate 3 year terms 500 members Single term limit First past the post (300) AND proportional (200) 1997 election introduces gridlock Women 22.6% in 2004 6 year terms Elections @ 3 years Single term limit 128 Senators Each state and DF has 3 senators – popular vote 32 senators elected nationally through a proportional system

Public Policy Debt and Development Early success The crisis – import substitution fails 1970s Reform – SAP 1980s and 1990s Debt reduction Sharp cuts in government spending Privatization Opening up the economy – increase in inequality Job creation US-Mexican relations – Big Brother Immigration NAFTA – free trade Drugs/guns

Media Mexican newspapers, magazines, and television stations are seemingly independent of government control, but it rarely took on PRI governments PRI had virtual monopoly on newsprint and provided underfunded papers with information The press censored itself for the most part Pressures to open up the media have been building and have had an impact; more independent outlets Opening up of the economy and the technological revolution have brought in more media that are not controllable by the government