1. Part 3: Citizens, Society, & State
MEXICO
Part 3: Citizens, Society, & State

2. Social Cleavages Urban v. Rural North v. South Social Class
Under PRI, Mexico was mostly rural and the patron-client system controlled peasants
Today Mexico is more than 75% urban & literacy rate is about 90%
North v. South
North is more prosperous bc more involved with trade from US, more industrialized, more middle class, higher education
South has more Amerindian, lower incomes, less education
Social Class
High economic inequality, but starting to see some growth of middle class (but may be in informal economy)

3. Social Cleavages Mestizo v. Amerindian
About 30% think of themselves as Amerindian
Amerindian more likely to live in marginalized, rural areas and live in poverty
Most of Mexico’s wealth is in the hands of the mestizos
Discussion Question: Which cleavages are coinciding?

4. Political Participation
Patron-Client System
Strong under rule of PRI
Lessened with modernization
Protests
1968 Student Protests in Tlatelolco Plaza
Gov’t responded by co-optation – accommodating protesters demands by including them in political process
1994 Zapatista Uprising in Chiapas
Chiapas = poor southern Mexican state
Amerindians upset, feeling ignored after NAFTA
President Fox attempted to incorporate Zapatistas into gov’t
Federal gov’t currently supplies electricity & water to villages Zapatistas control
2006 Protest in Oaxaca (teachers’ strike turned protest of elections and authoritarian rule) Demanded resignation of governor
Tlatelolco Plaza:
President recruited large number of student activists into his administration; increased spending on social services, put many young people to work, expanded antipoverty programs in countryside/urban slums

5. Political Participation
Voting Behavior
Before 1990s, PRI controlled elections on local, state, and national levels
Voting rates were high (patron-clientelism: political support for economic favors)
Competing parties since 1930s
Highest voting turnout in 1994 (78%) but have declined since then (around 60%)
Less electoral fraud
Electoral commission, founded in 1990, became fully independent
Political parties have more access to the media

6. Interest Groups PRI practiced state corporatism
What is the relationship between interest groups and the state in a corporatist system?
Government controls access.
Relationship is fundamentally cooperative
Formal relationship exists between the government and interest groups.
Interest groups were divided into three sectors
Labor
Peasants
Middle class

7. Corporatist or Pluralist today?
Definition of state corporatism
a system of interest representation in which certain groups are officially recognized by the state in exchange for acceptance of state control or limits on their expression of interest and demands
In contrast to pluralism
a system of interest representation in which groups can freely form to press their interests without limitation
Breakdown of patron-client relations
Economic crises in 1980s & 90s
Instituted wage freezes for Confederation workers
Abolished price supports for agricultural products
Ended special credit programs for farmers

8. Civil Society History of civil society even under PRI
Political parties are primary civil society organization in urban Mexico
They sponsor sports clubs, youth activities, and celebrations for communities
PRI’s downfall started in civil society with discontented businessmen who were not incorporated into the gov’t system
Growth of Protestant churches in recent decades demonstrates openness of civil society
NGOs & Professional organizations are common and esp active in Mexico City
Unions are powerful (esp those associate with PRI)

9. Civil Liberties
Civil liberties have continued to increase in Mexico since
More tolerance of a civic society, including Zapatistas
More press freedom
Fewer instances of people (journalists) disappearing
Decriminalization of abortion in Mexico City
More LGBTQ rights, including civil unions in Mexico City
Thus Mexico has become less authoritative and more of a democracy.

10. Economic Globalization
Economic Globalization – increasing interdependence of world economies as a result of the growing scale of cross-border trade of commodities and services, flow of international capital and wide and rapid spread of technologies.
Policy example s– Mexico becoming a member NAFTA
Liberalization of the economy/adoption of neoliberal and privatization policies
Creation of maquiladoras and export promotion zones
Legislation friendly to foreign business
Nationalized resources (oil)
Three historical markers stand out as central to the development of neoliberalism: the establishment of free trade zones and maquiladoras in 1965, Structural Adjustment Programs initiated by the International Monetary Fund in 1982, and the signing of the North America Free Trade Agreement in 1994.
From the perspective of the ruling class, the North America Free Trade Accord (NAFTA), signed on January 1, 1994, is the defining legal structure for future United States economic relations with the rest of Latin America. NAFTA integrates the economies of Mexico, the United States and Canada by eliminating most trade and investment controls over a 10-year period, with some agricultural tariffs phased out over 15 years. NAFTA builds on the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement signed in 1988.
After a decade of NAFTA, the results are obvious - corporations have benefited handsomely while the working class on both sides of the border suffers declining living standards. NAFTA has been nothing short of a disaster, yet it is proudly trumpeted by the ruling class as the blueprint for the Free Trade Area of the Americas, a proposed (and ultimately failed) trade agreement that would have included every nation in the hemisphere except Cuba.

11. Globalization Response
EZLN movement (Chiapas) in Oaxaca or southern Mexico.
The passage of NAFTA allowed corporations to buy land that belonged to indigenous people and use it to produce cheap exports.
The same day that NAFTA was passed, a group called the Zapatista National Liberation Army came out in armed rebellion against local and national authorities. The Zapatistas said that NAFTA was a "death sentence."
This (NAFTA) put a strain on local farmers and merchants who had to compete with the new "cash crops."

12. Media
Mexico's media were traditionally dominated by the Televisa group, which had firm links with the PRI.
Loosening of the PRI's hold led to greater editorial independence and the emergence of competitors.
Mexican newspapers reflect different political views; sensationalism characterises the biggest-selling dailies.
Since 2000, scores of journalists have been murdered. 

13. Ways the Media helps democracy in Mexico
Providing a check on government actions
Providing accountability
Ensuring fair elections
Ensuring a voice for the opposition
Encouraging citizen participation

14. Nongovernmental constraints on the media
Increased violence against journalists by nongovernmental actors
Intimidation by drug cartels
Consolidation of media by private owners
Limited access to media such as the internet

15. Discussion Question
Why do democratic regimes place constraints on media?
To protect minority rights
To protect national security
To prevent libel and slander
To prevent the encouragement of violent activities
To maintain moral standards

16. Current Issues in Mexico
Organized Crime – over the past few decades Mexico has seen an increase in organized crime such as drug trafficking. They have seen an increase in drug related violence and corruption scandals.
Human Rights – as a result of reliance on the military to help curb organized crime, the government has had to rely on the use of the military – which has led to thousands of allegations of human rights abuses against civilians.
Migration –import substitution policies and economic globalization have created migration from the South to the North, and regional differences in foreign investment.
Drug cartels are heavily funded and armed and often protected by local police forces. The Mexican legal system is both weak and susceptible to bribes. They intimidate local governments and have brutally executed politicians, police, and journalists who stand in their way.
Members of security forces routinely use torture to obtain forced confessions and information about criminal groups.