Democratizing Mexico
Public Opinion and Electoral Choices
Published on 1. January 1996
Book
Hardback
328 pages
978-0-8018-5146-9 (ISBN)
Description
This study of Mexican political culture looks at the attitudes and behaviour of Mexican voters from the 1950s to the 1990s, and finds evidence of both increasing support for, and independence from, the nation's ruling party. Data from polls conducted during the elections of 1988, 1991 and 1994 is utilized, along with interviews with leading political figures, including presidential candidates. The author argues that as long as the party elites fail to ensure truly free and fair elections, Mexico cannot be regarded as a democracy - at the same time, stressing that Mexican citizens are ready for democratic politics.
Reviews / Votes
"Large parts are excellent examples of thorough scholarship and will no doubt serve as essential references in Mexico's transition to democracy...the clear writing and and exhaustive coverage of electoral public opinion will make it an essential part of any Mexicanist's library."--Miguel Centeno, 'Journal of Latin American Studies' "Any generalist or specialist interested in the Mexican voter...should read this work. The authors' clearly argued and challenging conclusions about 'ecological' cleavages and their formulation of an imaginative two step voting behavior model will have a lasting impact on electoral survey analysis for all future work for years to come."--'Journal of American Studies' "Dominguez and McCann's concern is with what polling data reveals about Mexican attitudes toward democracy. In this meticulous study, they find that "Mexican citizens are readier for democracy than are some of those who still seek to rule them."--Kenneth Maxwell, 'Foreign Affairs'More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
590 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-5146-9 (9780801851469)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jorge I. Dommnguez is the Frank G. Thomson Professor of Government and acting director of the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. His many books include 'Democracy in the Caribbean', also available from Johns Hopkins. James A. McCann is assistant professor of political science at Purdue University.