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What Ails Mexican Democracy
Article

What Ails Mexican Democracy

Too Much Hope, Too Little Change


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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.

Summary

As Mexico’s ongoing struggles with corruption and violence illustrate, democratic elections do not automatically translate into good governance. Despite regular elections held over the past 70 years, the country’s problems remain largely unchanged. In 2017, the country’s most violent year to date, Mexico recorded almost 30,000 murders. More alarmingly, over 98% of those murders went unsolved, highlighting Mexico’s inability to hold its criminals accountable and protect the public.

Not surprisingly, everyday Mexican citizens place little trust in the democratic process...

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.