Mexico

Mexico’s value as a case lies in what it can tell us about the circumstances of politics and government in Latin America, where many countries have experienced stops and starts in their recent experiments with democracy. After a long history of political instability, followed by decades of dominance by a single political party, Mexico has evolved since the 1990s into a multi-party system, but one in which some of the traditions of the past – including corruption – continue to cause problems. Mexico has also long continued to struggle with the infl uence of the neighbouring United States, and has been shaken since 2006 by a violent drug war that has interfered with its ability to reform itself. It off ers a good example of a fl awed democracy, giving us insight into the problems that a country can face as its tries to build a more democratic and transparent system of government.