Democracy within reason : technocratic revolution in Mexico / Miguel Ángel Centeno.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Centeno, Miguel Angel, 1957- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mexico--Politics and government--1988-2000.

Mexico.

Government executives--Mexico.

Government executives.

Political leadership--Mexico.

Political leadership.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 288 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

University Park, Pennsylvania : The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1999.

Summary:

During the 1980s the Mexican regime faced a series of economic, social, and political disasters that led many to question its survival. Yet by 1992 the economy was again growing, with inflation under control and the confidence of international investors restored. Mexico was now touted as an example for regimes in Eastern Europe to emulate.How did Carlos Salinas and his team of technocrats manage to gain political power sufficient to impose their economic model? How did they sustain their revolution from above despite the hardships these changes brought for many Mexicans? How did they stage their remarkable political comeback and create their “democracy within reason”? Why did Salinas succeed in keeping control of his revolution while Mikhail Gorbachev failed to do so in his similar effort at radical reform?Miguel Centeno addresses these questions by analyzing three critical developments in the Mexican state: the centralization of power within the bureaucracy; the rise of a new generation of technocrats and their use of a complex system of political networks; and the dominance of a neoliberal ideology and technocratic vision that guided policy decisions and limited democratic participation. In his conclusion the author proposes some alternative scenarios for Mexico’s future, including the role of NAFTA, and suggests lessons for the study of regimes undertaking similar transitions.Of obvious interest to students of contemporary Mexico and Latin America, the book will also be very useful for those analyzing the transition to the market in other countries, the role of knowledge in public policy, and the nature of the modern state in general.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

List of Abbreviations

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1. Salinastroika

Chapter 2. The Technocratic State

INSTITUTIONS

Chapter 3. The Autonomous Bureaucracy

Chapter 4. Inside the Machine

ELITES

Chapter 5. The Technocratic Vanguard

Chapter 6. Friends, Allies, and Families

IDEOLOGY

Chapter 7. Modernity and Revolution

Chapter 8. Democracy within Reason

CONCLUSION

Chapter 9. How Much of a Model

Postscript

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780271076676

0271076674