Mexico Under Zedillo

Following a turbulent year of political and social upheaval, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce was inaugurated as Mexico's president in December 1994. Soon thereafter, the collapse of the peso forced a reorientation of the country's political, economic, and social policies and priorities, with the new vulnerability of the long-entrenched PRI regime reflected in the 1997 local elections.

Mexico Under Zedillo examines Mexico's accelerated movement toward democracy during this period, considering the political dilemmas facing the country, the structures and functions of its traditional political institutions (and how they began to unravel), the evolution of the presidency, and the crucial question of how political parties will cope with ongoing change. The authors also assess Mexico's economic outlook for the medium and long term; as well as the politics of its social policy, focusing on poverty and income distribution, social policy strategies since 1982, and the political challenges posed by the decentralization of political power. The final chapter discusses the changing U.S.-Mexico relationship.