Tag Archives: mexico

Mexico matters.

It matters in more ways than what makes the headlines these days – it matters not only because of shared security interests, but also because the US and Mexican economies are inextricably linked. Mexico’s upcoming elections matter because the newly elected leader will help set the tone and policies for US-Mexico diplomatic, trade, and security relations, among others. Open and transparent discussion of tangible policy issues with input from a variety of civil society actors can help create stronger, sounder policies that will help Mexico on a path towards greater equity and prosperity. The Center for Research and Development (CIDAC), a Mexican think tank and CIPE partner, is trying to foster exactly this kind of discussion.

On April 30, 2012 CIDAC launched a new platform for debate, designed to create a space for in-depth discussion of policy proposals. This forum, called Debate Electoral (Electoral Debate) brings together experts on various economic and social policy areas, poses a central question, and gives each expert an allotted amount of time to answer the question. CIDAC also follows up with other questions, and visitors to the site can weigh in on the discussion and vote for who they think “won” the debate.

Thus far CIDAC has sponsored seven debates on topics ranging from oil subsidies to education to justice.  So far the Electoral Debate app on Facebook has garnered 8,299 visits, 3,562 likes, and has been shared 89 times. Debate topics, such as subsidies, have been presented to the candidates, and PAN candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota even discussed her position on the topic of subsidies during the first presidential debate.

Additionally, CIDAC interviewed PANAL candidate Gabriel Quadri on this subject and posted the interview on the Electoral Debate platform. A debate like this, using social media, is something new for Mexico, and is one that allows more citizens and civil society actors to view and discuss important, substantive issues from a variety of perspectives.

Economic policy, security, justice, and education are hot topics in this year’s race to Los Pinos. They are also all policy areas that will benefit from an open dialogue, much like the one CIDAC is trying to create. Anyone can participate in these discussions (provided they can read and write in Spanish), and input from anyone with an interest in Mexico is welcome.

Whether the PRI sweeps the election, or any of the other candidates make an unlikely leap from behind to win, input from think tanks like CIDAC and other civil society actors can only help strengthen Mexico’s democracy and contribute to more effective policy-making that will benefit Mexico, and subsequently, the United States.

When Mexico flourishes, so will the United States.

This is the final part of a three-part series on the Mexican election. Read Part 1 and Part 2.

This is part 2 in a 3-part series about Mexico’s upcoming presidential elections. Read Part 1 and Part 3.

The four candidates vying to be President of Mexico. (Photo: Christian Science Monitor)

What is justice? Should Mexico’s national oil company be opened and more competitive? What would you do with 200 billion pesos ($14.4 billion – the amount Mexico currently spends on oil subsidies)?

These are just a few examples of the kinds of questions various NGOs in Mexico, including CIPE partner the Center of Research for Development (CIDAC), are asking in the run-up to the Mexican presidential elections on July 1. As discussed in a previous post, Mexico and the US matter to each other politically and economically. So it is important learn how best to follow not only the polls, but also the debates and issues at hand.

Discussion of real policy issues has historically been lacking in Mexican presidential election races. Instead, candidates make vague, general statements, while avoiding concrete talk of specific policies. However, increasing pressure from citizens and civil society has begun to yield results. This year, for the first time ever, all four candidates took part in two live, televised debates.

Mexico has made enormous strides in democratic and economic development over the last two decades. The signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, coming on the heels of the Mexican economic crises of the 1980s, dramatically reconfigured the Mexican economy. Since 1994, the Mexico has become much more open and more dependent on trade – especially with the US, its largest export market. In 2008 Mexico’s exports accounted for 31% of GDP, triple the share of twenty years ago, with 80% of those going to the United States. At the same time, new investment and export opportunities in Mexico have increasingly helped to drive economic growth in the United States.

Economic change aided a gradual opening of the Mexican political system as well. In 2000, the party that had ruled Mexico for more than 70 years, the PRI, was defeated by an opposition party candidate in that year’s presidential election. In spite of progress made since NAFTA was signed, however, the last two decades have also underscored the challenge of reforming democracy without strong institutions.

The next president of Mexico will certainly have a myriad of difficult issues to deal with, including rising violence and the power of drug cartels, the need for judicial reform, and the crafting of policies that will boost Mexico’s economic performance in a way that benefits even the poorest citizens. For example, both the National Action Party (PAN) and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the two largest parties, have indicated that they want to continue with policies that will encourage free trade and better incentives for entrepreneurs. This bodes well not only for Mexicans, but also for the country’s trade relations with the US.

However, the differences lie in how the candidates and their parties propose to achieve this: the PAN advocates fiscal discipline and restraints in public expenditures to maintain a healthy macroeconomic balance, while the PRI will face pressure to stick to campaign promises to improve the financing of social programs.

With issues of security, justice, and economic growth at stake, what is the best way to follow the elections?

• For those who read Spanish: visit Arena Electoral, a Spanish-language website that profiles each candidate, details their public policy proposals in numerous areas, and then ranks them. It also has a feature that helps you figure out which candidate aligns with your own viewpoints.

• For the non-Spanish speakers, the New York Times has a frequently updated page about Mexico that pulls together background information and important news updates.

• Follow the candidates on Twitter:
  • Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN):
    • Party: PRI (the old ruling party)
    • Credentials: former governor of Mexico State
• Andrés Manuel López Obrador (@lopezobrador_):
  • Party: PRD
  • Credentials: former mayor of Mexico City
• Josefina Vázquez Mota (@JosefinaVM):
  • Party: PAN (the current ruling party)
  • Credentials: former Secretary of Education
• Gabrial Quadri de la Torre (@g_quadri):
  • Party: PANAL
  • Credentials: Academic, civil engineer, media contributor
  • Check out www.cidac.org for information in Spanish about the hot topics surrounding these elections and to find out how you can weigh in. Also, follow CIDAC on Facebook and Twitter.

For more about CIDAC and their work around the elections, visit the CIPE blog again tomorrow for the final part of this three-part series on the Mexican elections.

…and Why Mexico’s Upcoming Presidential Elections are not just a Mexican Affair. Part 1 of 3. Read Part 2 and Part 3.

US-Mexico border crossing in San Ysidro -- the busiest border crossing in the world. (Photo: Flickr/Willem van Bergen)

Mexico today is one of the world’s most open economies, the thirteenth largest by GDP, and the United States’ third largest trading partner. While many Americans associate Mexico with words like “drugs,” “violence,” “immigrants,” or maybe “Cancun,” the truth is that the US economy is inextricably linked to Mexico’s, and vice versa: economic, civil, social, or political unrest on one country greatly affects the other, both directly and indirectly.

The aim of this three-part blog series is to look at the bigger picture: Mexico is far more important to the US, and the US to Mexico, than conventional wisdom suggests — and in many more ways.

A recent New York Times article discusses the importance of Mexico’s rapidly approaching presidential elections to the state of Texas. However, these elections will affect more than just the border states. The economies of more than a dozen other states, including Nebraska, Iowa, and Michigan depend heavily on exports to Mexico. Mexican companies are now the largest suppliers of cement, baked goods, and dairy products to the US market. Mexico is also the second largest supplier of oil to the US, after Canada.

In addition to providing each other with important export markets, the Mexican and US economies are becoming increasingly integrated in ways that blur traditional understandings of trade. The regional supply chains of US companies criss-cross the US-Mexico border, meaning that Mexico and the US work together to manufacture goods that are eventually sold on the global market. For example, cars built in North America may cross the border as many as eight times as they are being produced.

In other words, the US and Mexico are more than just neighbors. Economic interdependence, shared cultural heritage, and grim security issues that both countries must face together mean that what happens in Mexico affects the US in more ways than just immigration and drug trafficking. Mexico’s economic, political, institutional, social, and security challenges are all interconnected: whoever wins the Mexican presidential elections on July 1 will have to face a myriad of complex problems. He or she will help set policies that will both directly and indirectly affect everyone from US business leaders to migrant workers to white suburban teenagers.

A Mexico that is fully equipped with leaders who can help navigate the process to the reforms the country needs is an even more important economic and political ally that can help increase prosperity throughout the region.

This is not a zero-sum game. If Mexico flourishes, the US will also flourish.

Coming up: the candidates, the issues, and how you can get involved. Read Part 2 and Part 3.