Skip navigation
What Ails Mexican Democracy
Article

What Ails Mexican Democracy

Too Much Hope, Too Little Change


auto-generated audio
auto-generated audio

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Background
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Mexico’s landmark 2000 elections put an end to seven decades of single-party rule. For many observers, they marked the culmination of the country’s transition to true democracy. Unfortunately, however – as Gladys I. McCormick and Matthew R. Cleary from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs explain in Foreign Affairs – this historic change brought neither improved rule of law nor better public services. getAbstract recommends their case study as an illustration that free and fair elections do not necessarily guarantee good governance.

Take-Aways

  • Periodic democratic elections in Mexico have failed to produce governments willing or able to improve accountability, enforce rule of law or effectively combat poverty.
  • In Mexico, good governance will require far-reaching institutional reforms.  
  • Mexico must root out corruption and inefficiency in its public bureaucracy at the federal, state and local levels.  

About the Authors

Gladys I. McCormick and Matthew R. Cleary teach history and political science at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. 


More on this topic

Learners who read this summary also read