1. CITIZENS, SOCIETY, AND THE STATE

2. CITIZENS, SOCIETY, and the State: BACKGROUND
Mexican citizens have interacted with their government through an informal patron-client relationship
Government has upper hand in determining which interests to respond to and which interests to ignore
Recently, political parties have become more competitive and democratic

3. Cleavages
Cleavages of Mexico are often crosscutting, but have recently coincided as the north and south have been at odds.
Cleavages with the most direct impact on political system are:
Social class
Urban v. rural
Mestizo v. Amerindian
North v. South

4. RURAL: EARLY 20th Century
URBAN: PRESENT DAY
PRI and the patron-client system controlled largely illiterate peasants in exchange for support
Today’s Mexico is more than 75% urban
Literacy rate is about 90%
Voters are less inclined to support the PRI
Often receptive to political and economic reform
Urban v. Rural

5. Urban v. Rural Cleavage

6. MESTIZO V. AMERINDIAN A blend of European and Amerindian descent
Possess most of Mexico’s wealth
More likely to live in poverty in marginalized rural areas
As many as 30% of Mexicans consider themselves Amerindian
MESTIZO V. AMERINDIAN

7. NORTH V. SOUTH Very dry and mountainous Population is more prosperous
Substantial middle class with relatively high levels of education
Generally more supportive of a market-based economy
Largely subtropical
Generally less influenced by urban areas and the U.S.
Larger amount of population is Amerindian
Lower average income than in the North
Less educational opportunities and skilled labor
Distrustful of central government
NORTH V. SOUTH

8. SOCIAL CLASS
Gini coefficient was .48 in 2009 (economic inequality is high)
In 2002:
The poorest 10% of the population earned about 1.6% of Mexico’s income
The wealthiest 10% earned 35.6% of Mexico's income
This economic divide translates into higher infant mortality rates, lower levels of education, and shorter life expectancies among the poor
Mexico’s middle class has been growing due to the “informal economy” and from new industries and service businesses

9. Political Participation in Mexico

10. History of Political Participation
Mexico’s culture of political participation has been characterized by revolution and protest since the Revolution of
However, most Mexicans have been subject to authoritarian rule by an elite class, especially under the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Institucional)
The PRI dominated Mexican politics for most of the 20th century (beginning in 1929)

11. History of Political Participation
Revolution and Protest:
Revolution of
Caudillos (Warlords): Formation of PRI under President Calles in 1929
1968 Student Protest in Tlatelolco Plaza
1994 Zapatista Uprising
2006 Oaxaca Protest

12. History of Political Participation
Left: a 1968 student propaganda poster
Above: Subcomandante Marcos, leader of the Zapatista Rebellion

13. The Patron-Client System
Political system emphasizes compromise among elites
Behind-the-scenes conflict resolution encouraged
Distribution of rewards to contacts and supporters
Rooted in the PRI’s camarilla system, which granted peasants and supporters job and security benefits in exchange for votes

14. The Patron-Client System
Still a determining factor in political participation today, especially in regional elections
2006 Presidential Election: losing candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador accused the PAN party of election fraud based in the camarilla system

15. Voter Behavior
Before the 1990s, the PRI controlled elections on the local, state, and national levels
However, competing parties have existed since the 1930s
Voter turnout was high in the 1994 (78% turnout), but has since declined (60% turnout in 2006)

16. Voter Behavior
Some factors that influenced voter behavior in the election of 2006 were:
Region (North v. South)
Education (university education v. uneducated poor)
Income

17. Civil Society in Mexico

18. Linkage Institutions-Political Parties
PAN
Party to the right of PRI
PRI’s oldest opposition party
Advocates less government intervention
Appeals to middle class, northerners, and the educated.
PRI
Ruled as a one party system
Corporatist structure
Patron-client system
Appeals to rural people, and residents of southern Mexico
PRD
Party left of the PRI
Appeals to the young, populists, and some intellectuals

19. Media
The media had little power to criticize or to influence opinion because of the PRI
Media became more independent in the 1980s as he PRI began to lose is hold
Today there are many more international news sources such as CNN and BBC
Mexicans now have access to a much broader range of political opinions

20. Interest Groups
The Mexican government responds to demands of interest groups through accommodation and co-optation
Because private organizations have been linked to the government for so long, development of Mexico's civil society has been slow
In rural areas, peasant organizations are encouraged through he ejido system which grants land to these organizations from the government
Since 1980 these groups have demanded greater independence from the government
In recent years they have come together to promote better education, health services, and environmental protections
As these groups have strengthened, the political system has had to negotiate with them, transforming civil society

21. Women’s Role in Mexico
In the early 20th century, women had few political rights
1922: region of Yucatan gives women political rights to vote in local and regional elections
1947: Women allowed to run for office at municipal levels
1953: Full women’s suffrage granted to all provinces

22. Women’s Role in Mexico
Women have traditionally been responsible for household maintenance and child rearing
Women were important in the Mexican revolutions of the early 1900s
Lost much of their political influence under President Porfirio Diaz
Women and children have been traditional targets of human trafficking since the early 20th century
Women played a significant role in the Mexican Student Movement of 1968, protesting for income and opportunity equality

23. Women’s Role in Mexico
Today, women are an important force in Mexican politics: parties are bound by law to run at least 30% women for the proportional representation elections
However, no major party has yet fielded a female presidential candidate, although the minor party Social Democrats and Farmers ran Patricia Mercado in 2006

24. Maria Antonieta Perez Reyes
A representative of the province of Juarez in the Mexican Congress.