STUDENT NOTES - 3 Ch. 5 Mexico

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS

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States = FEDERAL! 31- Governors Popularly Elected 6 year term, but can never serve a second term Every governor from PRI ( ) President can have Senate remove governor of any State in which law and order cannot be maintained – President then appoints interim governor to finish term

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM Constitution grants president more power than other branches – until late 20 th century executive branch dominated Leg. And Jud. Subordinate to the president

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: PRESIDENCIALISMO President is Head of State/Govt No V.P. Current President: Enrique Pena Nieto (2012) Dominant political actor in Mexico for greater part of twentieth century (acted as a DICKtator) De facto leader of PRI – chose all candidates = loyalty/control Possesses broad range of unwritten but recognized “metaconstitutional” powers – concentration of power

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH Legislative powers – Initiate legislation that was then sent to a Congress controlled by PRI – Make policy by decree – Create administrative/bureaucratic regulations –Formal powers: Initiate legislation, lead foreign policy, create agencies –Informal power: Make policy by decree and through administrative regulations and procedures

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH The right to appoint the Attorney General The right to appoint the Attorney General and the Chief of Police of the Federal District The right to appoint the Secretaries of State and all the members of the Mexican Executive Cabinet The right to appoint all Mexican Ambassadors Supreme power over the army, navy, and air force The power to declare war and peace (with prior congressional authorization) The power of negotiating foreign treaties The power to issue decrees The right to nominate Supreme Court justices The power to veto laws The right to introduce bills in Congress for their consideration.

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: NATIONAL CONGRESS Senate Non-re-election 128 (elected both plurality and PR) – from each state and 3 from MC – 32 elected proportionally 6 year term Deputies Non-re-election 500 deputies – 300 plurality – 200 proportionally 3 year term  PRI controlled until 1997 – since that time the legislature has exerted influence b/c of divided government HOWEVER mixed member system has yielded a THREE-PARTY SYSTEM and COMPLICATES having a majority in either chamber  High party discipline – get cues from party NOT constituents (***They don’t have to get reelected!!!!)

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH –Deputies and municipal officers have three-year terms. –Constitution is easily amended and includes human, economic, and social rights. –Approve presidential appointments/treaties

NON-REELECTION Sexenio – One of the few limitations on presidential power – Specifically the president BUT non-reelection across the board Positives – limits consolidation of power, less election oriented, check on power, new people = new ideas Negatives – no accountability; good leaders leave office; poorly designed policy

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: THE JUDICARY BRANCH TRADITIONALLY under PRI power, just another arm of the party apparatus 1994 given judicial review by president, 15 year terms instead of 6 years to coincide w/ president, and reduced SC from 24 to 11 justices *attempt to remove executive control undermined by 8/11 supermajority to deem acts unconstitutional

III. POLICYMAKING INSTITUTIONS: THE JUDICARY BRANCH Rights of Defendants: right to counsel, right against self- incrimination, right to face accuser, right to trial, speedy trial REFORM: remove past relationship of subordination of court to executive Adversarial process by 2016

LEGAL SYSTEM Establishing stable RULE OF LAW largest obstacle Legal system flawed: most police are wanted for criminal activity, under paid, easily bribed Calderon reforms: education spending/antipoverty programs reduce opportunities for drug traffickers to BUY local support Decriminalization of small amounts of narcotics Tighter screening, testing, monitoring of police Standardized sentencing, penal system form of rehabilitation ALL COSTS TOO MUCH!

The Military Marginalized from centers of political power (under civilian control) Used for: – Repress student protests (1968) – Deal with earthquake (1985) – Break labor strike (1989) – Deal with protest over electoral fraud – Manage Mexico City police (1997) – Combat drug trafficking – Repression, torture, killing in 1970s and 1980s

Bureaucracy – Huge million people (most in Mexico City) – Lower level people are guaranteed jobs – Higher level only allowed to stay in office as long as their superiors have confidence in them (confidence employees) Parastatal Sector – A government-owned corporation or agency – Produce goods/services usually carried out by private individuals in other countries (ex: PEMEX) – Huge sector under PRI, Reforms have trimmed # of parastatals

II. SOVEREIGNTY, AUTHORITY, POWER: EVOLUTION OF MEXICAN STATE Neoliberalism – free markets, balanced budgets, privatization, minimal government intervention NAFTA (1994) – Proposed by President Salinas – Signed by Mexico, Canada, US – Removed barriers on trade and investment b/t the three countries Economic globalization (US)  Increased vulnerability to international economy  Linked Mexican and United States economies  Led to economic crises of 1994 and recession of 1995

V. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC CHANGE PRI vowed to fulfill demands of the masses – land, education reform, labor rights All predicated under patron-client system and strong presence in the economy (ISI) – Strategy for industrialization based on domestic manufacture of previously imported goods to satisfy domestic market demands. – State capitalism “Mexican Miracle” ( )

V. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC CHANGE  Demands to deal with economic and political crisis  Weakening of political power centers provided opportunity to reorient economic development strategy  Deregulation gave private sector more freedom.  Salinas privatized some 900 state-owned enterprises  Overhaul of federal system, delegating more power to state and local governments

V. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC CHANGE From 1980 to 2000, Mexico transformed from a closed economy driven by oil to one led by diversified services and exports – FDI $330 billion – Maquiladores – manufacturing centers (80% of exports) – Oil now less than 20% of total exports – Gini coefficient 2008 – 48 (largely unequal) Globalization has increased government transparency – economic freedom led to political freedom and PRI could NOT regain political control

VI. PUBLIC POLICY: CURRENT CHALLENGES ½ under poverty line Few jobs to accommodate youth in labor force Development gap Income gap Weak rule of law Women paid less Major environmental problems (waste)

V. POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC CHANGE Oportunidades (Zedillo) – gov gives families stipends to keep young children in school Seguro Popular (Fox) – national health insurance program

VI. PUBLIC POLICY: CURRENT CHALLENGES Transition to Democracy: – Elections are as democratic, transparent as any other country in Americas – Talk of changing Constitution of 1917 to weaken presidency and strengthen Congress – Should be classified as a democracy, one of best functioning in Latin America