This book explores environmental policymaking in Mexico as a vehicle to understanding the broader changes in the policy process within a system undergoing a democratic transformation. It constitutes the first major analysis of environmental policymaking in Mexico at the national level, and examines the implementation of forestry policy in Mexico's largest rain forest, the Selva Lacandona of the state of Chiapas.
Taking the policymaking process as a vehicle to understanding political change in Mexico, and based on the results of filed research presented here, this dissertation advances the thesis that environmental policymaking during the administration of Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon (1994--2000) was a partially open process as it incorporated the demands of some societal actors and it involved the active participation of Members of Congress. This points to a departure from the traditional exclusionary decision and policymaking practices that characterized traditional PRI rule and which were reinforced in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In part, the opening of the process has followed the strengthening of the environmental movement. However, the openness of the policy process was not equally accessed by the actors given that the private sector was able to have privileged access through informal mechanisms. This points to further entrenchment of the specialized and non-transparent channels of access the private sector has had during the process of political change in Mexico. Environmental policymaking was also characterized by the continued exclusion of groups, such as indigenous organizations, as they were effectively left out of the process. This study also attempts to show, through an analysis of the implementation of forestry policy in the Selva Lacandona of Chiapas, that there was a gap between the formulation and implementation of environmental policy. This gap is the result of a series of obstacles that environmental institutions face to implement policy fully, obstacles that stem mostly from the socio-economic exclusion the majority of the population experience as well as entrenched power structures. Essentially, it appears that forestry policy is inadequate to solve the problem of deforestation in the state.
This book explores environmental policymaking in Mexico as a vehicle to understanding the broader changes in the policy process within a system undergoing a democratic transformation. It constitutes the first major analysis of environmental policymaking in Mexico at the national level, and examines the implementation of forestry policy in Mexico's largest rain forest, the Selva Lacandona of the state of Chiapas.
What are the political economic conditions that have given rise to increasing numbers of social environmental conflicts in Mexico? Why do these conflicts arise in some local and regional contexts and not in others? How are social environmental movements constructed and sustained? And what are the alternatives? These are the questions that this book seeks to address. It is organized into three parts. The first provides a panoramic view of social environmental conflicts in Mexico and of alternatives that are being constructed from below in rural areas. It also provides an analysis of the recent reforms to open the country’s energy sector to private and foreign investment. The second is comprised of local-level case studies of conflict (and no conflict) in diverse geographic locations and cultural settings, particularly in relation to the construction of wind farms, hydraulic infrastructure, industrial water pollution, and groundwater overdraft. The third explores alternatives from below in the form of community-based ecotourism and traditional mezcal production. A concluding chapter engages comparative and global analysis.
Part of the International Library of Policy Analysis series, this book provides the first detailed examination of the practice of policy analysis in Mexico. Whilst shaped by the legacy of the Mexican state’s colonial history as well as by recent social, economic and political developments, the study of policy analysis within Mexico provides important comparative lessons for other countries. Contributors study the nature of policy analysis at different sectors and levels of government as well as by non-governmental actors, such as unions, business, NGOs and the media, promoting the use of evidence-based policy analysis, leading to better policy results. The book is a vital resource for academics and students of policy studies, public management, political science and comparative policy studies.
This book compiles the works of many authors from some of the best academic institutions in the world, all related to Mexico's contemporary general conditions. The main objective of this compilation is to examine Mexico as a whole, giving the reader an insight in its social, economic, political and environmental problems. For this purpose, the texts have been chosen in a way that after analysing a few of them, one will find them all correlated. The problems analysed in this book range from very recent (some of them occurring this past year) to others that go back decades or even centuries. In this sense, this contribution gives readers a historical perception of the problems captured. Some chapters develop scientific conclusions based on strict scientific research; however, the reader will find that the language is not overwhelming and the chapters can be thoroughly and easily read. Overall, it is a wonderful compilation made possible by all contributing authors and their interest to publish their most recent research on it. We hope that readers enjoy going through the pages of these chapters as they venture through contemporary Mexico, analysing topics from the environmental difficulties of Coahuila's sand dunes to social changes in the Meseta Purépecha, passing through other topics, such as, the conditions of human rights protection in Mexico or the return of the PRI regime, among other great discussions. The authors' interests are as different as their disciplines, but, in this case, diversity is important for maintaining multidisciplinary interpretations on the current needs of the Mexican society.
