Untitled Flashcards Set

Mexico

Basics of Mexico

  1. Homogenous language and religion (Cathoicism)

  2. Population: 130 Million

  3. Patron-Clientelism

    1. Mutual arrangement between a person that has authority, social status, wealth, or some other personal resource (patron) and another who benefits from their support or influence (client)

    1. System based on”Who you know”

      1. Patron is the individual who is in power.

    2. Citizens support local elites (politicans/business leaders) and in return gets need/wants furnished

      1. Want the support of the politician? Use Patron-Clientelism, inherently courrpt.

        1. Can get more stuff done, suppoedy. 

    3. Corruption is inherent. 

    4. Controlled by PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) for 70 years.

      1. The party held uninterrupted power in the country and controlled the presidency twice: the first one was for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, the second was for six years, from 2012 to 2018.

  4. NAFTA

    1. North American Free Trade Agreement

      1. Important Supranational Organization

      2. Permits Machiladoras to flourish

        1. Machiladroas are factories, manufacturing hubs

          1. Most are south of the border/north of Mexico

          2. Most are owned by US and Chinese companies.

          3. Cheaper workforce in Mexico rather than the US

      3. Allows exploitation to flourish

      4. Has not significantly reduced poverty in Mexico

  5. Constitution (1917)

    1. Is the source of power and legitimacy 

    2. Technaically stronger than a presidential system. 

      1. Has been weakened Electoral Reform (1993)

  6. Democratic Republic

    1. Voting and Representation

      1. State Corporatism

        1. The government controls the interest groups in society.

          1. Any group that has interest in the government is a interest group.

          2. Do NOT allow interest groups “free reign”. The government puts them together. 

    2. Represent peasants, labor unions….

    3. Trend towards more pluralistic society. 

      1. Multiple interest groups

  7. Economics

    1. Free Market Economy: Large number of Para-Statals (government owned corporation - PEMEX)

      1. Government owned companies/corporations are Para-Statals

    2. Large gap between rich and poor - traditionally small middle class.

    3. Oil is the foundation of the economy

  8. Political Institutions

    1. Federal System

      1. 31 States + Mexico city

      2. Each has Governors & its own legislative body

      3. National Supremacy  control high percentage of money 

        1. More of the money controls flows through mexico city, cannot distribute the money effectively

      4. More Centralized than Decentralized

    2. A Presidential System

      1. Single executive (Head of Govt and Head of State)

    3. Ernesto Zedillo (1994-2000)

      1. Ended the PRI streak 

      2. Would not assume party leadership

      3. Would not name successor

      4. Promoted more open electoral system

      5. Electoral law reform of 1993

    4. Vicente Fox (2000-2006)

      1. First non-PRI President (PAN, National Action Party)

      2. Does not like Trump

    5. Felpie Calderon (2006-2012)

      1. PAN Party

      2. Violence went up significantly under his administration

      3. Taking on the Drug Cartels

    6. Enrique Pena Nieto (2012-2018)

      1. PRI 

    7. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) (2018-2024)

      1. Left PRD for New MORENA Party

      2. Leftist-socialist

      3. Poverty was reduced under his administration

    8. Claudia Sheinbaum (2025 - Present)

      1. A Jew

  9. Bicameral Legislative Branch

    1. Both make the laws

    2. Chamber of Deputies (lower house) 

      1. 500 Members

      2. (somewhat true) 3 Dominant Parties (with a sprinkling of other parties)

      3. Closer to the people, more representative.

      4. 300 Districts

      5. Plurality system

        1. MORENA, PVEM, PT had the plurality one election before Nov. 2024

      6. No Re-election

    3. Senate (Upper House)

      1. 128 Members

      2. Power to check chamber of deputies on legislation

        1. 3 senators per state

  10. Electoral System

    1. President directly elected by Plurality

    2. Chamber of Deputies elected by mixed SMD and proportional rep systems

      1. 300 districts, elected by plurality in SMDs

        1.  200 elected through national party lists

          1. The people represent an idea not people.

        2. This entire process is called proportional representation.

    3. Senate elected by mixed MMS and proportional rep systems

      1. MMS - Multi Member State

        1. 3 Sentators, Mexico City gets 3

    4. Candidates run in paris, winning team gets 2 seats (64 total), 2nd place team gets 1 (32 total)

    5. 32 are elected through national part lists-proportional

  11. Judiciary

    1. No real independent Judiciary

    2. No real Judicial review (supreme court sc such authority but is rarely used)

    3. Plagued by corruption

  12.  Zapatistas (EZLN)

    1. Movenment in the state of Chiapas for indigenous rights since 1990s (Subcommadante Marcos)

      1. “Vanguard”

    2. Government has attempted to suppression to through military force

      1. Suffered heavy loses

      2. Guerrilla Warfare

  13. Political and Economic Change

    1. Biggest political change 1993 Electoral Law Reform

    2. Strengthed the IFE (Federal Election Comission) now the INE (National Election Commission)

      1. Needs a non-biased group to judge the elections to judge whether or not the election is fair. 

    3. Poverty still a huge program

      1. 36% of population

  14. Where does Mexico Rank?

    1. GINI: 43.5% / 109

    2. Happiness: 25

    3. PPP: 13

    4. HDI: 3.7%