Mestizo A person of mixed white, indigenous (Amerindian), and sometimes African descent.####Amerindian Original peoples of North and South America; indigenous people.####Indigenous Groups Population of Amerindian heritage in Mexico.####Maquiladoras Factories that produce goods for export, often located along the US-Mexican border.####Coup D'etat A forceful, extra-constitutional action resulting in the removal of an existing government.####Ejidos Land granted by Mexican government to an organized group of peasants.####Sexenio The six-year administration of Mexican presidents.####Clientelism An informal aspect of policymaking in which a powerful patron (for example, a traditional local boss, government agency, or dominant party) offers resources such as land, contracts, protection, or jobs in return for the support and services (such as labor or votes) of lower-status and less powerful clients; corruption, preferential treatment, and inequality are characteristic of clientelist politics.####North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) A treaty among the US, Mexico, and Canada implemented on January 1, 1994, that largely eliminates trade barriers among the three nations and establishes procedures to resolve trade disputes. NAFTA serves as a model for an eventual Free Trade Area of the Americas zone that could include most Western Hemisphere nations.####Corporatist State A state in which interest groups become an institutionalized part of the structure.####Civil Society Refers to the space occupied by voluntary associations outside the state, for example, professional associations (lawyers, doctors, teacher), trade unions, student and women's groups, religious bodies, and other voluntary association groups. The term is similar to society, although civil society implies a degree of organization absent from the more inclusive term society.####State Capitalism A political system in which the state requires all members of a particular economic sector to join an officially designated interest group. Such interest groups thus attain public status, and they participate in national policymaking. The result is that the state has great control over the groups, and groups have great control over their members.####Import Substituting Industrialization (ISI) Strategy for industrialization based on domestic manufacture of previously imported goods to satisfy domestic market demands.####Informal Sector That portion of the economy largely outside government control in which local traditional rulers and political structures were used to help support the colonial governing structure.####Proportional Representation A system of political representation in which seats are allocated to parties within multi-member constituencies, roughly in proportion to the votes each party receives. PR usually encourages the election to parliament of more political parties than single-member-district winner-take-all systems.####Technocrats Career-minded bureaucrats who administer public policy according to a technical rather than political rationale. In Mexico and Brazil, these are known as the tecnicos.####Para-Statal State-owned, or at least state-controlled, corporations, created to undertake a broad range of activities, from control and marketing of agricultural production to provision of banking services, operation of airlines, and other transportation facilities and public utilities.####Camarillas Vast informal networks of personal royalty that operates as powerful political cliques.####Chamber of Deputies, Senate The lower house of Mexico's legislature.####Chiapas Rebellion Southern Mexican state which had large groups of Native Americans, where rebels took up arms and challenged the government, demanding land reform.####Neo-Corporatism A structure in which business, labor, and state engage in bargaining over economic policies.####Dependency A model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploration of poor nations by rich ones.####Election Reform Campaign finance restrictions. Laws that limit contributions to campaigns. Critical media coverage, as media is less under PRI control. International watch teams, as Mexico has tried to convince other countries that elections are fair and competitive. Election monitoring by opposition party members.####Vicente Fox Mexico's president since 2000. The first non-PRI president in over seven decades.####GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. International trade organization that encourages free trade by lowering tariffs and other trade restrictions.####IFE Organizing elections of the president and the Congress of the Union. Registering voters and parties. Giving all parties access to the media. Setting the ceiling for campaign expenditures. Allocating public funds fr campaigns. Recruiting and training citizens to run polling places. Confirming the electoral results.####Import Substitution A government policy that uses trade restrictions and subsidies to encourage domestic production of manufactured goods.####"Mexican Miracle" Described a country with a rapidly increasing GNP in orderly transition from an authoritarian to a democratic government.####Neoliberalism A political orientation origination in the 1960s. A strategy for economic development that calls for free markets, balanced budgets, privatization, free trade, and minimal government intervention in the economy.####Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Leading candidate in 2018 presidential race####Para-Statals Industry partially owned by the state.####Patron-Client System Powerful government officials deliver state servicing policies and access to power in exchange for the delivery of political support.####PEMEX Mexico's powerful state-owned oil monopoly.####PAN National Action Party. A conservative Catholic Mexican political party that until 2000 was the main opposition to the PRI.####PRD Party of the Democratic Revolution. Mexico's main left-of-center opposition party.####PRI Intended to stabilize political power in the hands of its leaders. Served as an important source of government legitimacy until other political parties successfully challenged its monopoly during the late 20th century.####WTO The World Trade Organization. An international body that enforces agreements that reduce barriers to international trade. Successor to the GATT.####Zapatistas Guerilla movement named in honor of Emiliano Zapata; originated in 1994 in Mexico's Southern state of Chiapas. Government responded with a combination of repression and negotiation.####

Mestizo

A person of mixed white, indigenous (Amerindian), and sometimes African descent.

Amerindian

Original peoples of North and South America; indigenous people.

Indigenous Groups

Population of Amerindian heritage in Mexico.

Maquiladoras

Factories that produce goods for export, often located along the US-Mexican border.

Coup D'etat

A forceful, extra-constitutional action resulting in the removal of an existing government.

Ejidos

Land granted by Mexican government to an organized group of peasants.

Sexenio

The six-year administration of Mexican presidents.

Clientelism

An informal aspect of policymaking in which a powerful patron (for example, a traditional local boss, government agency, or dominant party) offers resources such as land, contracts, protection, or jobs in return for the support and services (such as labor or votes) of lower-status and less powerful clients; corruption, preferential treatment, and inequality are characteristic of clientelist politics.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

A treaty among the US, Mexico, and Canada implemented on January 1, 1994, that largely eliminates trade barriers among the three nations and establishes procedures to resolve trade disputes. NAFTA serves as a model for an eventual Free Trade Area of the Americas zone that could include most Western Hemisphere nations.

Corporatist State

A state in which interest groups become an institutionalized part of the structure.

Civil Society

Refers to the space occupied by voluntary associations outside the state, for example, professional associations (lawyers, doctors, teacher), trade unions, student and women's groups, religious bodies, and other voluntary association groups. The term is similar to society, although civil society implies a degree of organization absent from the more inclusive term society.

State Capitalism

A political system in which the state requires all members of a particular economic sector to join an officially designated interest group. Such interest groups thus attain public status, and they participate in national policymaking. The result is that the state has great control over the groups, and groups have great control over their members.

Import Substituting Industrialization (ISI)

Strategy for industrialization based on domestic manufacture of previously imported goods to satisfy domestic market demands.

Informal Sector

That portion of the economy largely outside government control in which local traditional rulers and political structures were used to help support the colonial governing structure.

Proportional Representation

A system of political representation in which seats are allocated to parties within multi-member constituencies, roughly in proportion to the votes each party receives. PR usually encourages the election to parliament of more political parties than single-member-district winner-take-all systems.

Technocrats

Career-minded bureaucrats who administer public policy according to a technical rather than political rationale. In Mexico and Brazil, these are known as the tecnicos.

Para-Statal

State-owned, or at least state-controlled, corporations, created to undertake a broad range of activities, from control and marketing of agricultural production to provision of banking services, operation of airlines, and other transportation facilities and public utilities.

Camarillas

Vast informal networks of personal royalty that operates as powerful political cliques.

Chamber of Deputies, Senate

The lower house of Mexico's legislature.

Chiapas Rebellion

Southern Mexican state which had large groups of Native Americans, where rebels took up arms and challenged the government, demanding land reform.

Neo-Corporatism

A structure in which business, labor, and state engage in bargaining over economic policies.

Dependency

A model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploration of poor nations by rich ones.

Election Reform

Campaign finance restrictions. Laws that limit contributions to campaigns. Critical media coverage, as media is less under PRI control. International watch teams, as Mexico has tried to convince other countries that elections are fair and competitive. Election monitoring by opposition party members.

Vicente Fox

Mexico's president since 2000. The first non-PRI president in over seven decades.

GATT

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. International trade organization that encourages free trade by lowering tariffs and other trade restrictions.

IFE

Organizing elections of the president and the Congress of the Union. Registering voters and parties. Giving all parties access to the media. Setting the ceiling for campaign expenditures. Allocating public funds fr campaigns. Recruiting and training citizens to run polling places. Confirming the electoral results.

Import Substitution

A government policy that uses trade restrictions and subsidies to encourage domestic production of manufactured goods.

"Mexican Miracle"

Described a country with a rapidly increasing GNP in orderly transition from an authoritarian to a democratic government.

Neoliberalism

A political orientation origination in the 1960s. A strategy for economic development that calls for free markets, balanced budgets, privatization, free trade, and minimal government intervention in the economy.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Leading candidate in 2018 presidential race

Para-Statals

Industry partially owned by the state.

Patron-Client System

Powerful government officials deliver state servicing policies and access to power in exchange for the delivery of political support.

PEMEX

Mexico's powerful state-owned oil monopoly.

PAN

National Action Party. A conservative Catholic Mexican political party that until 2000 was the main opposition to the PRI.

PRD

Party of the Democratic Revolution. Mexico's main left-of-center opposition party.

PRI

Intended to stabilize political power in the hands of its leaders. Served as an important source of government legitimacy until other political parties successfully challenged its monopoly during the late 20th century.

WTO

The World Trade Organization. An international body that enforces agreements that reduce barriers to international trade. Successor to the GATT.

Zapatistas

Guerilla movement named in honor of Emiliano Zapata; originated in 1994 in Mexico's Southern state of Chiapas. Government responded with a combination of repression and negotiation.