COROLINE C. BEER'S NEW BOOK EXPLORES the consequences of democratic politics in Mexico. Focusing on struggles at the subnational level, she assesses how increased electoral competition alters the long-term distribution of power across political institutions in ways that shift power away from established elites and into the hands of ordinary citizens. Electoral Competition and Institutional Change in Mexico includes compelling case study comparisons of three states with very different experiences with electoral democracy: Guanajuato, Hidalgo, and San Luis Potosi. These cases are then situated within a broader quantitative analysis of all thirty-one Mexican states. Beer's research reverses the causal arrow of many standard studies by focusing on the causes of institutional change rather than the consequences of institutional design. Her analysis reveals that the process of increasing electoral competition has unleashed new forces that have slowly eroded the power of centralized, authoritarian elites in Mexico. Utilizing a theoretical framework that draws on insights from classic democratic theory, new institutionalist literature, and current critiques of contemporary Latin American democracy, Beer's important work represents the first comparative study of state legislatures and governors in Mexico and offers compelling insight into the bottom-up dynamics of Mexico's transition to democracy.
Caroline C. Beer is assistant professor of political science at the University of Vermont.
Introduction: Method Of Analysis; Democratization In Mexico; Overview Of The Book. The Consequences Of Electoral Competition: Theoretical Perspectives; What Are The Consequences Of Electoral Competition? Some Competing Views; Static Institutions - Representative Institutions And Accountability; Dynamic Institutions - Reviving Representative Institutions; Legislative Institutional; Political Recruitment And Candidate; Changing Decision-Making Arenas; The Case Of Mexico - Mexican Voters And The Prohibition On Reelection; Concluding Remarks. Legislative Change In Three States: Legislative Change In Mexico; Theoretical Considerations - Electoral Competition And Legislative Change; Evidence From Three Case Studies; Electoral Competition In The Three States; Autonomy; Resources; Decentralized Decision-Making Procedures; Level Of Activity; Evidence Of Change Through Time; Conclusions. Legislative Change Across The Nation; Local Legislatures In Mexico; Resources; Activity; Autonomy; Constituency Relations; Conclusions. The Recruitment Of Governors; Alternative Approaches To The Study Of Political Recruitment; Primary Elections; Political Recruitment Of Governors; The Selection Of Governors; The Removal Of Governors; The Consequences Of Inter-Party Competition On Gubernatorial Candidate; Empirical Evidence; Conclusions. Changing Decision-Making Arenas; Explaining Shifts In Policymaking Arenas - Previous Research; Electoral Competition And Decentralization In Mexico; Empirical Evidence; Concluding Remarks; Conclusion.
"Beer's straightforward and accessible writing style, methodological rigor, and academic contribution are first class. Beer's book is a must for students of Mexican politics and of the democratization process in general. Essential." -Choice "Beer's book departs from standard studies of democratization by focusing on subnational politics, the uneven nature of democratic transition across subnational units, and the bottom-up dynamics of transition." -Perspectives on Political Science "Beer writes well, and the book is logically organised. It will be of interest to all researchers studying the political consequences of democratisation in Latin America." -Journal of Latin American Studies "...an innovative and methodologically sophisticated analysis of electoral politics in Mexican states. ...a brilliant example of meticulous scholarship.... ...Beer makes a key contribution to our understanding of contemporary Mexican politics, and to the academic debate about the causes of institutional change and the consequences of democratization. ...the book sets high standards for future analysis of electoral politics in Mexico...."-Revista Europea de Estudios Latinoamericanos y del Caribe/European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies "Caroline Beer makes an important contribution to this approach to Mexican democratization by examining state-level electoral competition in the 1990s and its impact on institutional development, particularly of state legislatures, and on political recruitment, especially of gubernatorial candidates. She argues that democratization resulted from a complex interplay between opposition victories in subnational elections and important democratic advances in the national political arena. Beer has provided a conceptually lucid and carefully researched analysis of the subnational electoral competition and its implications for institutional development at the state level. Any study that seeks to offer a comprehensive view of Mexican democratization must incorporate her insights." -Perspectives on Politics "...will certainly become standard fare for students of new Mexican politics." -Latin American Research Review
