Artículos académicos
Early democratization, corruption scandals and perceptions of corruption: evidence from Mexico
The most accepted theory of the relationship between democratization and perceptions of corruption is the curvilinear theory. The theory states that in early democratization corruption increases, then it reaches a ceiling, and finally it begins falling, forming an inverted U. The increase in perceptions of corruption in early democratization has been associated with an increase in actual acts of corruption. This paper claims that the inverted-U relationship between democracy and corruption may or may not be explained by corruption, but it is surely explained by corruption scandals. Using evidence from the 32 Mexican states over the period from 2000 to 2018, the article substantiates that early democratization, particularly first turnovers, significantly and robustly increases corruption scandals. In turn, corruption scandals have an influence on perceptions of corruption. Ultimately, early democratization moves perceptions of corruption through the mechanism of corruption scandals, with the role of actual acts of corruption being an open question.
Explaining the sources of judges’ legal conceptions in the Mexican judiciary
When explaining judicial decision-making, ideological accounts of judicial behavior have not seriously considered the judges’ legal conceptions. This paper brings together two disciplines that used to sit at separate tables: judicial politics and legal theory. It aims at enhancing ideational accounts of judicial behavior by analyzing how legal conceptions such as legal positivism and post-positivism are shaped and socially reproduced. We claim that legal conceptions are, to some extent, determined by the type of educational model under which a judge studied, and by his/her level of education. We surveyed federal judges working in Mexico (N=71) to explore and test our contention and computed two analyses: hierarchical cluster analysis and binomial logistic regressions. We identified three clusters of judges’ legal conceptions, where the educational model showed a significant effect in shaping the judges’ legal conceptions.
La gestión de la pandemia de covid-19 en Jalisco: de la diferenciación a la discrecionalidad
Este trabajo analiza la respuesta del sector salud en Jalisco a la pandemia de COVID-19 durante 2020 desde dos perspectivas: la del gobierno estatal y la del personal médico. La primera enfatiza cómo el gobierno de Jalisco buscó marcar una diferencia con el gobierno federal en su gestión de la crisis, específicamente en su mecanismo de vigilancia epidemiológica. La segunda, basada en entrevistas a profundidad con personal médico, da cuenta de las restricciones que dichos actores enfrentaron, destacando la escasez de recursos, las medidas de protección al personal, las características del entorno laboral y los efectos sobre la vida personal de los trabajadores de la salud. Se arguye que, en un contexto de institucionalización débil, la actuación discrecional del personal médico no busca deliberadamente distorsionar los objetivos de las políticas para enfrentar la crisis, sino es la manera de sortear los diversos obstáculos de para sacar adelante sus tareas.
Securitización, externalización de fronteras y tendencias migratorias
El artículo explora las consecuencias que ha tenido la pandemia Covid 19 en los flujos migratorios de grupos vulnerables en el marco del paradigma de securitización dominante. A partir del análisis de reportes y comunicados de organizaciones internacionales y ONGs especializadas en migración, se deducen varias tendencias en la migración internacional y el cruce de fronteras en distintas partes del mundo. Se analiza más a profundidad el efecto combinado de la crisis de salud mundial junto con la práctica de externalizar fronteras en ciertos países de paso, explorando dos estudios de caso de fronteras conflictivas (Libia y México) y los efectos potencialmente peligrosos y desestabilizadores que todo ello puede tener en países o regiones enteras.
Indulgent citizens: Bribery in Mexico’s bureaucratic procedures
This article offers evidence of the embedded nature of bribery in Mexico. Drawing on three theoretical frameworks that deviate from standard individualistic rational-choice approaches, the paper examines a shared assertion: systemic corruption is a regime so deeply engrained in social relationships and norms that prevents people from attributing a moral connotation to their behavior. Based on individual-level data from two waves of a national survey on government performance, I find that users of government procedures in Mexico are indifferent to bribery, as the occurrence of petty corruption acts does not influence their appraisal of various administrative transactions. By demonstrating that everyday acts of bribery are, in general, immune to social disapproval in a setting of high corruption like Mexico, this article contributes to understanding better the complexity of such phenomenon and why anti-corruption policies are not likely to succeed if they do not design ways to cope with the social normalization of corruption.
Violencia hacia las mujeres y presunción de inocencia
En el presente documento, se explora la acusación de que las reivindicaciones a favor de las mujeres tienen un tinte punitivo, en el sentido de que pretenden combatir los estereotipos de género a través de los medios más coercitivos del Estado, exigiendo, además, que este restrinja los derechos individuales de los procesados para lograr más castigos y más severidad en ellos. Desde el contexto mexicano, se analiza si, en efecto, las pretensiones a favor de las mujeres implican el debilitamiento de garantías, específicamente, de una tan importante como la derivada de la protección del derecho de presunción de inocencia de los individuos sujetos a un proceso penal por delitos que implican violencia hacia las mujeres.
The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Human Mobility among Vulnerable Groups: Global and Regional Trends
Based on a review and analysis of documentary sources published by non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and academics, this article discusses five trends in human mobility, all of which have been aggravated by the global health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. These trends include an increase in border and migratory control within the framework of securitization processes; the entrapment of displaced persons, migrants, and asylum seekers in conditions of precariousness and violence; greater danger and increased human trafficking along routes; greater levels of violence against women and girls who are migrating; and an increase in inequality and the intensification of the structural causes of human displacement and migration.
Pautas para la aplicación del principio del interés superior del niño en México
Este texto pretende reflexionar sobre la complejidad de la aplicación en la práctica del principio del interés superior del niño. Primeramente, se presenta la conceptualización del principio. Posteriormente, se enuncian algunas interpretaciones jurisprudenciales relevantes para entender los alcances del principio del interés superior del niño en la resolución de casos concretos. Se concluye afirmando que todas las decisiones que se toman en relación con las niñas y niños deben considerar el espectro integral de su desarrollo.
Climate Change in International Law
Mediante un enfoque crítico, este ensayo documenta los principios del derecho internacional que inciden en el cambio climático. Enseguida se identifican los recursos disponibles para que los Estados e individuos exijan el cumplimiento de las obligaciones en materia del cambio climático y se valoran sus posibilidades de éxito. Finalmente, se adelanta un nuevo enfoque que ayudaría a solucionar los conflictos de manera más efectiva.
The Will and the Way: How State Capacity and Willingness Jointly Affect Human Rights Improvement
Alejandro Anaya Muñoz y Amanda Murdie
When should we expect compliance with international human rights norms? Previous literature on the causal mechanisms underlying compliance have focused independently on the roles of state willingness, thought of as the preferences of the regime leadership, and on state capacity, in improving human rights practices within a state. We build an argument that neither of these factors are sufficient on their own to improve compliance with human rights norms. Instead, improved human rights practices require both “the will and the way.” Our central hypothesis is that capacities and willingness, acting jointly, are key determinants of improvements in compliance with international human rights norms. The paper confirms this proposition using two-staged and single-stage regression models and a time-series cross-sectional approach at the country-year level. A highly capable bureaucracy and a state that has signaled its willingness through the acceptance of individual complaint and inquiry procedures in the UN treaty regime are jointly necessary for improved human rights practices.