Number 237 Junior Scholars Training Program 1998 Arturo Alvarado Sigrid Arzt Rosana Heringer Beulett Hunter Julissa Mantilla Isaías Rojas Pérez Latin American Program Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars 1 This publication is one of a series of Working Papers of the Latin American Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The series includes papers in the humanities and social sciences from Program fellows, guest scholars, workshops, colloquia, and conferences. The series aims to extend the Program's discussions to a wider community throughout the Americas, to help authors obtain timely criticism of work in progress, and to provide, directly or indirectly, scholarly and intellectual context for contemporary policy concerns. Single copies of Working Papers may be obtained without charge by writing to: Latin American Program Working Papers The Woodrow Wilson International Center One Woodrow Wilson Plaza 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20004-3027 The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars was created by Congress in 1968 as a "living institution expressing the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson, symbolizing and strengthening the fruitful relations between the world of learning and the world of public affairs." The Center's Latin American Program was established in 1977. LATIN AMERICAN PROGRAM STAFF Joseph S. Tulchin, Director Cynthia Arnson, Assistant Director Allison M. Garland, Senior Program Associate Ralph H. Espach, Program Associate Katherine Morse, Program Assistant Heather A. Golding, Program Aide 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 4 Unravelling From Above: A Reexamination of Mexican 6 Federalism: From One Party Dominance to A Partisan Federalism? Arturo Alvarado The Complexities of a U.S.-Mexican National Security 27 Threat: Mexico’s Weak Institutions versus Powerful Organized Crime Syndicates Sigrid Arzt Addressing Race Inequalities in Brazil: Lessons from 56 The United States Rosana Heringer The Impact of Structural Adjustment on Primary and 82 Secondary Education 1980-1995 Beulett Hunter Los Derechos Humanos en la Formulación de La 105 Política Exterior de los EEUU: El Case del Perú Julissa Mantilla Falcón Rebelión en los Confines de la Sierra: Estado y 147 Campesinado en la Guerra Interna en el Perú Isaías Rojas Pérez 3 Introduction This working paper represents the collective product of the 1997-98 cohort of Junior Scholars. The Junior Scholars Training Program provides a research and training opportunity in the United States to mid-level scholars or practitioners from Latin America involved in public policy issues. The objective of the program is to contribute to the design and practice of public policy in Latin America. Grantees spend one semester at a major university in the United States, under the guidance of a mentor known for his or her excellence in the chosen field of study. The grantees also are exposed to research facilities, international financial and policy institutions, and government bodies in Washington, D.C. The scholars whose work is represented in this document, as well as their respective placements and mentors, are: Arturo Alvarado, El Colegio de México: The restructuring of federalism in Mexico: reforms and proposals for decentralization; Professor John Coatsworth, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University; Sigrid Arzt, Fundación Miguel Estrada Iturbide, México: Barcotrafficking and the changing nature of U.S.-Mexican security relations; Professor John Bailey, Department of Government, Georgetown University; Rosana Heringer, Universidad Federal de Viçosa, Brazil: Racial Inequality and Affirmative Action Policies in Brazil; Professor Jennifer Hochschield, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University; Beulett Hunter, Ministry of Education, Youth, and Culture, Jamaica: Structural adjustment and its impact on primary and secondary education in Jamaica; Professor Mun Tsang, College of Education, Michigan State University; Julissa Mantilla, Instituto de Estudios Internacionales, Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú: The formulation of U.S. human rights policy, with specific reference to Peru; Professor Thomas Buergenthal, International Rule of Law Institute, The George Washington University; Isaías Rojas Perez, Instituto de Defensa Legal, Lima: Civil society and democratization in peru: the role of campesino organizations; Professor Anthony Pereira, Department of Political Science, and Professor Deborah Poole, Department of Anthropology, New School for Social Research. As this Working Paper is published, Junior Scholars from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexico have research well underway at Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia University and Rutgers University. Applications are under consideration for a fifth class that will arrive in January 2000. 4 We wish to express our gratitude to The Ford Foundation for its generous support of the Junior Scholars Training Program, and to Professors John Coatsworth, John Bailey, Jennifer Hochshield, Mun Tsang, Thomas Buergenthal, Anthony Pereira, and Deborah Poole for serving as mentors during the 1997-98 cycle. We also wish to thank Administrative Assistant Heather Golding and intern Betsy Abney for their assistance with the Junior Scholars Program. Joseph S. Tulchin Cynthia J. Arnson Program Director Assistant Director 5 Unravelling From Above A Reexamination of Mexican Federalism: From One Party Presidential Dominance to A Partisan Federalism? Arturo Alvarado 1 Introduction This paper will address the present status of federalism in Mexico. I develop a diagnosis of the current conditions and the potential of state level government (the executive and legislative branches) in restructuring federalism in Mexico. Specifically I will address the consequences of five major processes underway: (1) Decentralization reforms and proposals for restructuring of federal-state and local relations (at fiscal, administrative, social, public policy dynamics and political levels), and (2) Increased alternance in local governments and its impact on the construction of a more participatory public process. (3) I will also set up a theoretical frame to understand the significance and impact of these changes. This frame considers two apparently competing positions about the “new” role of federal and state institutions. One states that in order to reorient development and democracy it is necessary to strengthen federal (national) institutions, and the other, based on the devolution theory and the “new federalism”, proposes a minor central government and stronger local institutions. In this context I will also consider several analytical alternatives to explain the present debate (like the systemic, the functional and the legislative theories of federalism). (4) Given the set of options and providing an analysis of the present status of Mexican federalism, I will dedicate part of this work to explore the probability of implementing a new strategy of “autonomous” economic development based on state level efforts that will enhance local welfare. (5) In addition to these, I will also explore its impact on the crucial problems of governance and recovering sustainable economic growth. In this paper I propose to understand the present status and potential of the decentralization and “federalization” process as a new form of “partisan federalism”. By analyzing the status of federalism I will explain the political changes and their consequences for the future of federal institutions. I analyze the major features emerging in the state and national arena, that is the disappearance of presidential dominance and 1 This report was developed with a grant from the Latin American Program of the Woodrow Wilson Center. I would like to thank the Center and its staff for giving me this opportunity to research and visit here at the Center as well as in leading Latin American programs in U.S. Universities. Also I was a fellow at David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University and I would like to thank John Coatsworth for his support and help. 6 the political realignment that are taking place both at national and state levels. The unraveling of presidential dominance is providing a new partisan arrangement that will transform the federal balance. The political actors, the conditions of governability, the relationship with citizens and the policy process will be affected by this new partisan federalism. 1. Towards a change in the federal balance. Like its Latin American counterparts, the Mexican Federal Government has been implementing decentralization programs targeting state and local governments for more than ten years. Today, the federal administration calls this process the “New Federalism” as initiated by President Zedillo. This proposal was accepted by the leaders of the opposition parties and by several state governments. The contents of this reform can be briefly described as a search for a new equilibrium between federal and state governments, and a reduced role of the national government in providing services for citizens. The proposal implies transferring significant resources to state and municipal governments, but the transfer of functions is still pending. Although the financial crisis that started in 1995 has been accompanied by unusual political turmoil which has threatened the programs, the mere idea of reforming the federal government has won popularity and become a central issue for all political forces.