Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left

ABSTRACT This article analyzes President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's (AMLO) first year in power. It argues that his government is hostage to deep-seated fragilities in the Mexican state apparatus, which are structurally constraining its ability to deliver results. Yet rather than addressing i...

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Autor principal:	Talanquer,Mariano Sánchez
Lenguaje:	English
Publicado:	Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Instituto de Ciencia Política 2020
Materias:	democracy state capacity state weakness neoliberalism the left Mexico
Acceso en línea:	http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-090X2020000200401
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spelling	oai:scielo:S0718-090X20200002004012020-09-27Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the LeftTalanquer,Mariano Sánchez democracy state capacity state weakness neoliberalism the left Mexico ABSTRACT This article analyzes President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's (AMLO) first year in power. It argues that his government is hostage to deep-seated fragilities in the Mexican state apparatus, which are structurally constraining its ability to deliver results. Yet rather than addressing institutional deficiencies, decisions made by the new government have further compromised the state's weak capabilities. Under the premise of extirpating the old neoliberal order, AMLO has centralized decision-making in the national executive, cultivated personalistic linkages, discarded inherited institutions, and implemented an aggressive fiscal austerity program. These measures have impaired the functioning of the bureaucracy and limited the prospects for greater social inclusion. Fiscal austerity, a quasi-religious moralizing discourse, and an increased reliance on the military for policy implementation mark a conservative turn. Attempts to weaken independent centers of power and AMLO's propensity to demonize opponents may not escalate into a full authoritarian reversal, but they have eroded the conditions for pluralistic politics and rational public deliberation. Overall, the “Fourth Transformation” has missed opportunities to democratically strengthen the state and lay the groundwork for progressive social change.info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessPontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Instituto de Ciencia PolíticaRevista de ciencia política (Santiago) v.40 n.2 20202020-06-01text/htmlhttp://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-090X2020000200401en10.4067/S0718-090X2020005000113
institution	Scielo Chile
collection	Scielo Chile
language	English
topic	democracy state capacity state weakness neoliberalism the left Mexico
spellingShingle	democracy state capacity state weakness neoliberalism the left Mexico Talanquer,Mariano Sánchez Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left
description	ABSTRACT This article analyzes President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's (AMLO) first year in power. It argues that his government is hostage to deep-seated fragilities in the Mexican state apparatus, which are structurally constraining its ability to deliver results. Yet rather than addressing institutional deficiencies, decisions made by the new government have further compromised the state's weak capabilities. Under the premise of extirpating the old neoliberal order, AMLO has centralized decision-making in the national executive, cultivated personalistic linkages, discarded inherited institutions, and implemented an aggressive fiscal austerity program. These measures have impaired the functioning of the bureaucracy and limited the prospects for greater social inclusion. Fiscal austerity, a quasi-religious moralizing discourse, and an increased reliance on the military for policy implementation mark a conservative turn. Attempts to weaken independent centers of power and AMLO's propensity to demonize opponents may not escalate into a full authoritarian reversal, but they have eroded the conditions for pluralistic politics and rational public deliberation. Overall, the “Fourth Transformation” has missed opportunities to democratically strengthen the state and lay the groundwork for progressive social change.
author	Talanquer,Mariano Sánchez
author_facet	Talanquer,Mariano Sánchez
author_sort	Talanquer,Mariano Sánchez
title	Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left
title_short	Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left
title_full	Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left
title_fullStr	Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left
title_full_unstemmed	Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left
title_sort	mexico 2019: personalistic politics and neoliberalism from the left
publisher	Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Instituto de Ciencia Política
publishDate	2020
url	http://www.scielo.cl/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0718-090X2020000200401
work_keys_str_mv	AT talanquermarianosanchez mexico2019personalisticpoliticsandneoliberalismfromtheleft
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Mexico 2019: Personalistic Politics and Neoliberalism from the Left

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