Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Social Research

CCHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES AND METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

Transcript for Author-Created Video Introduction to Chapter 2: Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Social Research

Chapter 2 is the theory and methods chapter. It is probably the most challenging chapter in the textbook. It may also be the most important. It introduces you to the three major theoretical perspectives sociologists use to think about any issue or event. It also introduces you to research techniques sociologists use to observe the things going on around them and in the world.

You will notice that Chapter 2 focuses on Mexico—more specifically, on the border fences that were constructed by the United States and that are used to prevent undocumented immigrants from crossing into the United States from Mexico. Eighty miles of fence are already in place, and another 700 miles are planned. Look at the map. The blue lines show where the fences have already been built, and the red lines show the sites of proposed fences.

I chose the border fences because they are such an emotional issue for people on both sides of the border. The three major theoretical perspectives help us to keep emotions in check by offering key questions that guide our thinking—questions like . . .

 Who benefits from the construction of the fence along the U.S.-Mexican border, and at whose expense?

 What are some of the ways the fence has affected and shaped interactions between Mexicans and Americans?

In Chapter 2, we also look at the research methods sociologists use to help them answer these questions, such as

 riding with border patrol agents during ten-hour shifts under the scorching sun.

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 reading letters undocumented workers send home to family members.

 walking the paths the undocumented take into the United States and observing the kinds of litter they leave behind.

 interviewing people in Mexican communities to learn the number of family members who have made successful trips into the United States as undocumented workers.

Chapter Outline

Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Social Research: With Emphasis on Mexico

I. Why Focus on Mexico? A. The United States and Mexico share a 2,000-mile border. Millions of people cross each week to work, shop, socialize, and vacation. B. The border includes fences and other barriers to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing into the United States from Mexico. 1. The fences are known in Mexico as the “Walls of Shame.” 2. The fences are known in the United States by such names as “Operation Gatekeeper” in California (launched 1994), “Operation Hold-the-Line” in Texas (launched 1993), and “Operation Safeguard” in Arizona (launched 1994). 3. In 2006, Congress passed the Secure Fence Act, authorizing the construction of at least 700 additional miles of strategically placed fences. 4. If the fencing project is completed, about 40 percent of this 2,000-mile border will be fortified. 5. In 2007, President George W. Bush claimed that 370 (rather than 700) miles of fencing would be sufficient because vehicle barriers, ground- based radar, and unmanned aircraft could be used instead. II. Sociological Theories A. Core Concept 1: Sociological theories offer a set of guiding questions and key concepts that address how societies operate and how people relate to one another. B. The sociological approach to understanding important social issues and events involves two interdependent and essential parts: 1. Theory: a framework that can be used to think about what is going on around us. 2. Sociological theory: a set of core assumptions and core concepts that examine how societies operate and how people in them relate to one another and respond to their environment.

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3. Three major theories that dominate the discipline of sociology: functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interaction 4. Each theory offers a central question to help guide thinking and offers a vocabulary or set of concepts for answering that question. III. The Functionalist Theory A. Core Concept 2: Functionalists focus on how the “parts” of society contribute in expected and unexpected ways to social order and stability and to social disorder and instability. 1. Functionalists are inspired by Émile Durkheim. 2. Functionalists focus on order and stability in society. 3. Functionalists define society as a system of interrelated, interdependent parts. 4. Functionalists use the human body as an analogy for society. 5. Each of society’s parts is interdependent and functions to maintain a larger system. B. Functionalists argue that all parts of society—even those that do not seem to serve a constructive purpose, such as poverty, crime, illegal immigration, and drug addiction—contribute in some way to the larger system’s overall stability. 1. Functionalists maintain that a part would cease to exist if it did not serve some function. Functionalists strive to identify how parts—even seemingly problematic ones—contribute to the stability of the larger society. 2. Early functionalists were criticized for defending existing social arrangements. C. Sociologist Robert K. Merton (1967) introduced other concepts to the functionalist perspective that help us think about a part’s overall effect on society, not just its contribution to order and stability. 1. Manifest functions: a part’s anticipated or intended effects on order and stability 2. Manifest dysfunctions: a part’s anticipated disruptions to order and stability 3. Latent functions: the unanticipated or unintended effects on order and stability 4. Latent dysfunctions: unanticipated or unintended disruptions to order and stability. D. Functionalists maintain that a part would cease to exist if it did not serve some function. Functionalists strive to identify how parts—even seemingly problematic ones—contribute to the stability of the larger society. IV. The Functionalist Perspective on United States-Mexico Border Fences A. Functionalists ask: Why do fences exist on the U.S.-Mexico border? What are the anticipated and unintended consequences of the border fences for American and Mexican societies? 1. Functionalists use the concepts of manifest and latent functions and dysfunctions to answer these questions. 2. Manifest functions of U.S. border fences

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a. Success in forcing illegal entries away from now-fenced urban areas to less populated areas, as well as to areas with rough terrain and climates (such as steep mountains, deep canyons, thick brush, the extreme cold of winter, and the searing heat of summer), thereby giving border patrol agents a strategic advantage b. Along the border, an overall drop in the crime rate from 30 percent higher than the national average to 12 percent higher. c. Decrease in the number of illegal immigrants apprehended for crossing the now-fenced area of the border from Mexico into heavily populated areas on the U.S. side 3. Latent Functions of U.S. border fences a. Cooperation between Mexican and U.S. officials in launching the Border Safety Initiative Program to prevent injuries and fatalities of those crossing the desert and other rough terrain to enter the United States b. The creation of the Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue team, which responds to all incidents involving people in distress, not just incidents involving illegal immigrants c. A fence that doubles as a volleyball net, allowing U.S. and Mexican volleyball players to face off as part of goodwill festivals and other cross-border celebrations d. The emergence of humanitarian groups that provide food, drinking water, and medical supplies to distressed illegal immigrants crossing difficult terrain 4. Manifest Dysfunctions of U.S. border fences a. Increased apprehensions of illegal immigrants in border counties not protected by fences b. A crime rate above the national average in thinly populated, unfenced counties c. Fatalities along the border as illegal immigrants seek to enter the United States through the desert and other inhospitable terrain d. Illegal immigrants paying organized smugglers, or “coyotes,” to guide them through areas where U.S. immigration policies are most strictly enforced 5. Latent Dysfunctions of U.S. border fences a. The emergence of humanitarian groups that save the lives of many illegal immigrants but, in doing so, help people circumvent the law. b. Dramatic disruptions in grazing, hunting, watering, and migration patterns of wildlife c. Denial of access to the Rio Grande by ranchers, farmers, and sport fishers (The river, which runs for 1,254 miles and serves as a natural border between Texas and Mexico, is used for watering herds, crop irrigation, and fishing.) d. Longer, and perhaps permanent, stays in the United States by migrant laborers who normally would work only seasonally or

part of the year here but who do not return home for fear that they will be unable to get back into the United States e. Redirected flows of illegal immigrants to areas unaccustomed to this movement, fueling the perception that illegal immigration to the United States is out of control f. Disruptions in the efficient exchange of goods, services, and people between border communities that are now separated by a fence V. The Conflict Theory A. Core Concept 3: The conflict perspective focuses on conflict over scarce and valued resources and focuses on the strategies dominant groups use to create and protect social arrangements that give them an advantage over subordinate groups. 1. Conflict theorists focus on conflict as an inevitable fact of social life and as the most important agent for social change. a. Conflict can take many forms, including physical confrontations, exploitation, disagreement, tension, hostility, and direct competition. b. Dominant and subordinate groups compete for scarce and valued resources. c. Those who gain control of these resources strive to protect their own interests against the competing interests of others. 2. Conflict theorists try to identify dominant and subordinate groups, as well as practices that the dominant groups have established, consciously or unconsciously, to promote and protect their interests. 3. Conflict theorists draw their inspiration from Karl Marx, who focused on the means of production. a. Conflict exists between bourgeoisie and proletariat classes because the bourgeoisie exploit workers by paying the workers only a fraction of the profits made from the workers’ labor. b. Exploitation is disguised by a facade of legitimacy—an explanation that members of dominant groups give to justify their actions. B. The Conflict Perspective on United States-Mexico Border Fences 1. Conflict theorists would point out that the fences divide a high-wage economy from a low-wage one. 2. Conflict theorists point out that the legal and illegal migration of labor from Mexico to the United States has been going on steadily since at least 1880. a. The social forces both pushing and pulling Mexican workers to the United States are deeply institutionalized and multigenerational. b. In some Mexican communities, 22 to 75 percent of adult residents have worked or are working in the United States. c. Many Mexican households have come to rely on remittance income.

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3. Conflict theorists give special attention to the social forces pulling the Mexican worker into the United States. a. U.S. employers and consumers depend on foreign labor, especially labor from Mexico and other Central American countries. b. Employers depend on the increased profits they make from the labor of low-wage workers. c. Consumers depend on low prices of goods and services. This dependence is fueled by a number of factors, including 1. the internationalization of the labor market, which has an overall depressing effect on wages as employers seek to keep labor-related production costs low. 2. a shortage of U.S.-born workers to fill low-skill, low- status, physically demanding, entry-level jobs. 3. a domestic labor supply that is insufficiently mobile or willing to respond to seasonal, cyclical, low-paying job opportunities that are hundreds or thousands of miles away. 4. The most common justification (facade of legitimacy) for the construction of fences is that such physical barriers prevent illegal workers from entering the country. However, this argument is flawed because most undocumented workers have entered legally but have overstayed their visas, have entered by using border cards that allow the holder to stay in the United States for 72 hours but never returned to the home country, or have used official ports of entry and have evaded border guards’ detection. 5. These facts suggest that the real purpose of the border fences is political: constructing the fences gives the appearance that government leaders are taking action to stop illegal immigration when, in reality, the unauthorized low-wage laborers continue to enter the country. 6. Conflict theorists ask, “Who benefits from the fences, and at whose expense?” VI. The Symbolic Interactionist Theory A. Core Concept 4: Symbolic interactionists focus on social interaction and related concepts of self-awareness, reflexive thinking, symbols, and negotiated order. 1. Symbolic interactionists draw much of their inspiration from three American sociologists: George Herbert Mead, Charles Horton Cooley, and Herbert Blumer. 2. Symbolic interactionists focus on social interaction, everyday events in which people communicate, interpret, and respond to each other’s words and actions 3. Symbolic interactionists study people in interaction while drawing upon the following concepts: a. Self-awareness/reflexive thinking - the process of observing and evaluating the self from another’s viewpoint

b. Symbols - any kind of physical phenomenon to which people assign a name, meaning, or value c. Negotiated order - the sum of existing and newly negotiated expectations, rules, policies, agreements, understandings, pacts, contracts, and other working arrangements 4. Symbolic interactionists maintain that people interpret others’ actions, words, and gestures first and then respond based on their interpretations. B. The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective on United States-Mexico Fences 1. Symbolic interactionists immerse themselves in the border world by studying a. interactions between border control agents and those crossing legally and illegally. b. ways Border Patrol agents are recruited and trained. c. interactions between illegal immigrants and contacts in the United States. d. ways employers knowingly or unknowingly hire illegal immigrants. e. the strategies illegal immigrants use to blend in upon entry into the United States. f. strategies illegal immigrants use to escape detection when passing though official border crossings. VII. Critique of Three Sociological Theories A. Strengths 1. Functionalist theory - gives a balanced overview of the fences’ intended and unintended contributions both to social order and stability and to social disorder and instability 2. Conflict theory - forces us to look beyond popular justifications for fence construction and explore questions about whose interests are being protected and promoted, and at whose expense 3. Symbolic interactionist theory - encourages firsthand, extensive knowledge about how the border fences shape interactions between Border Patrol agents and legal and illegal immigrants B. Weaknesses 1. Functionalist theory - leaves us wondering about the fences’ overall effect on the United States and Mexico. That is, do the manifest and latent functions outweigh the manifest and latent dysfunctions? 2. Conflict theory - presents a simplistic view of the relationship between dominant and subordinate groups; dominant groups are portrayed as all-powerful and capable of imposing their will without resistance from subordinate groups, which are portrayed as exploited victims 3. Symbolic interactionist theory – uncertainty exists as to whether observations are unique to those being observed or whether they apply to all interactions between Border Patrol agents and legal and illegal immigrants VIII. Methods of Social Research

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A. Core Concept 5: Sociologists adhere to the scientific method; that is, they acquire data through observation and leave it open to verification by others. 1. Research - a data-gathering and data-explaining enterprise governed by strict rules 2. Research methods - the various techniques that sociologists and other investigators use to formulate or answer meaningful research questions and to collect, analyze, and interpret data in ways that allow other researchers to check the results. Theory and research are interdependent because a. theories inspire research, whose results can be used to support, disprove, or modify those theories. b. the results of social research can inspire theories. c. theories are used to interpret facts generated through research. No matter which of the three perspectives they favor, all sociologists are guided by the scientific method when they investigate human behavior. 3. The scientific method is an approach to data collection that relies on two assumptions: a. Knowledge about the world is acquired through observation. b. The truth of that knowledge is confirmed by verification—that is, by others making the same observations. i. Findings endure as long as they can withstand continued reexamination and duplication by the scientific community. 4. Objectivity - not allowing personal or subjective views about a topic to influence observations or the outcome of the research 5. Researchers should be guided by the core values of honesty, skepticism, fairness, collegiality, and openness. 6. Research should be carefully planned; the enterprise of gathering and explaining facts involves a number of interdependent steps that are not necessarily sequential a. Choosing the topic for investigation or deciding on the research question b. Reviewing the literature c. Identifying core concepts d. Choosing a research design, forming hypotheses, and collecting data e. Analyzing the data f. Drawing conclusions B. Core Concept 6: Sociologists explain why their research topic is important, tie in their research with existing research, and specify the core concepts guiding the investigation. 1. Step 1: Defining the Topic for Investigation a. Sociology is distinguished from other disciplines not by the topics it investigates but by the perspectives it uses to study topics.

b. Personal interest is a common and often understated motive for choosing a topic. c. Good researchers explain to their readers why their topic or research question is significant. d. Researchers often announce the perspective that is either directly or indirectly guiding their investigation. 2. Step 2: Reviewing the Literature a. Researchers consider existing research. b. Reading the relevant literature can generate insights that researchers may not have considered. c. Authors cite the literature that has influenced that work. 3. Step 3: Identifying and Defining Core Concepts a. Researchers state their core concepts, powerful thinking and communication tools that enable researchers to give and receive complex information efficiently. 4. Step 4: Choosing a Research Design and Data-Gathering Strategies (Core Concept 7: Sociologists decide on a plan for gathering data, identifying who or what they will study and how they will select (sample) subjects for study.) a. Researchers decide on a research design—a plan for gathering data on the topic they have chosen. b. A research design specifies the population to be studied. c. A research design specifies the methods of data collection—the procedures used to gather relevant data. d. Researchers study individuals but may also decide to study traces, documents, territories, households, small groups, or individuals. e. Researchers cannot study entire populations—the total number of individuals, traces, documents, territories, households, or groups that exist. f. Researchers study samples—portions of the cases from a larger population. 5. Methods of Data Collection: (Core Concept 8: Sociologists use a variety of data-collection methods, including self-administered questionnaires, interviews, observation, and secondary sources.) a. Research design must include a plan for collecting information i. Self-Administered Questionnaire - a set of questions given to respondents who read the instructions and fill in the answers themselves. This is the most common method of data collection. ii. Interviews - personal, face-to-face, or telephone conversations between an interviewer and a respondent, where the interviewer asks questions and records the respondent’s answers 1. Structured interview - the wording and sequence of questions are set in advance and cannot be altered during the interview

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2. Unstructured interview – question and answer sequence is spontaneous and resembles a normal conversation in that the questions are not worded in advance and are not asked in a set order iii. Observation - watching, listening to, and recording behavior and conversations as they happen. Success results from identifying what is worth observing. iv. Secondary Sources (Archival Data) - data that have been collected by other researchers for some other purpose 6. Identifying Variables and Specifying Hypotheses: (Core Concept 9: Sociologists may choose to test hypotheses specifying the relationship between independent and dependent variables.) a. Variable - any characteristic that consists of more than one category i. Dependent variable - behavior to be explained or predicted ii. Independent variable - variable that explains or predicts the dependent variable b. Hypothesis - trial explanation put forward as the focus of research, which predicts the relationship between independent and dependent variables c. Operational definitions - clear, precise definitions and instructions about how to observe and/or measure the variables under study. d. Reliability - the extent to which an operational definition gives consistent results e. Validity - the degree to which an operational definition measures what it claims to measure 7. Steps 5 and 6: Analyzing the Data and Drawing Conclusions (Core Concept 10: In presenting their findings, sociologists identify common themes and, if applicable, specify whether hypotheses are supported by the data.) a. Researchers search for common themes, meaningful patterns, and links. b. Researchers may use graphs, frequency tables, photos, or statistical data, c. Generalizability - extent to which the findings can be applied to the larger population from which the sample was drawn 8. Relationship between Independent and Dependent Variables a. Researchers search for independent variables that significantly contribute to the explanation of the dependent variable. Three conditions must be met: i. The independent variable must precede in time the dependent variable. ii. The two variables must be correlated. iii. Establishing a correlation is a necessary step but is not in itself sufficient to prove causation, as researchers must eliminate spurious correlations (coincidental or accidental relationship

between the independent and dependent variables) and consider control variables (variables suspected of causing spurious correlations). IX. Visual Summary of Core Concepts A. Core Concept 1: Sociological theories offer a set of guiding questions and key concepts that address how societies operate and how people relate to one another. B. Core Concept 2: Functionalists focus on how the “parts” of society contribute in expected and unexpected ways to social order and stability and to social disorder and instability. C. Core Concept 3: The conflict perspective focuses on conflict over scarce and valued resources and focuses on the strategies dominant groups use to create and protect the social arrangements that give them an advantage over subordinate groups. D. Core Concept 4: Symbolic interactionists focus on social interaction and related concepts of self-awareness/reflexive thinking, symbols, and negotiated order. E. Core Concept 5: Sociologists adhere to the scientific method; that is, they acquire data through observation and leave it open to verification by others. F. Core Concept 6: Sociologists explain why their research topic is important, tie their research in with existing research, and specify the core concepts guiding investigation. G. Core Concept 7: Sociologists decide on a plan for gathering data, identifying whom or what they will study and how they will select (sample) subjects for study. H. Core Concept 8: Sociologists use a variety of data-collection methods, including self-administered questionnaires, interviews, observation, and secondary sources. I. Core Concept 9: Sociologists may choose to test hypotheses specifying the relationship between independent and dependent variables. J. Core Concept 10: In presenting findings, sociologists identify common themes and, if applicable, specify whether hypotheses are supported by the data.

Teaching Tips

P. 26 Video Tip: Show author video introduction to Chapter 2, which can be found on the Power Lecture CD. A transcript of the video is included in the Instructor's Research Manual.

P. 28 Technology Tip: The Secure Fence Act of 2006—the construction of an additional 700 miles of fence. Read the full text of this act at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z? c109:h.r.6061. There are four versions of this bill; select the version agreed to or passed by both House and Senate.

P. 30 Teaching Tip: The manifest and latent functions and dysfunctions of community- wide celebrations are listed below

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Functions of Community-Wide Celebration

 marketing and public  public transportation relations event for assumes a more visible corporate sponsor role  an occasion to plan  breakdown barriers activities with friends  celebration unifies the community

Dysfunctions of Community- Wide Celebration

 traffic jams  police departments choose to negotiate  closed streets contracts around the  litter time of the celebration  shortage of clean public toilets

P. 31 Discussion Tip: After reviewing the manifest and latent functions and dysfunctions associated with border fences, ask if anyone can think of items to add to the list.

P. 34 U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. It can be found at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/. Conflict theorists would find the brochure interesting because it inventories the daily "conflict" between border patrol agents and those seeking to enter illegally.

P. 37 Video Tip: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection website posts videos that show the day-to-day experiences of border patrol agents. Of particular relevance to this

26 Theoretical Perspectives and Methods of Social Research chapter is the video "Protecting U.S. Borders," which can be found on www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/video/.

P. 38 Discussion Tip: In reviewing the map above, point out that the U.S. border with Canada is approximately 5,000 miles long, yet only 350 border patrol agents have been assigned to that border (compared to the 11,114 border patrol agents and 6,000-plus national guard that have been assigned to the U.S.-Mexico border). In addition to the Canadian border, there are 95,000 miles of shoreline to protect.

P. 39 Discussion Tip: Ask students to write an anonymous paragraph indicating which one of the three theoretical perspectives fits most closely with their vision of society, and have them explain why. Collect paragraphs, and redistribute randomly. Ask students to volunteer to read to the class the paragraph they received.

P. 41 Student Activity: Ask students to use Google News or some other search engine that generates news reports. Enter the keys words "sociology" and/or "sociologists" to find news stories where sociologists are quoted or featured. This exercise will help students to see the variety of topics sociologists study. Students should submit a paragraph describing a topic they found interesting. This paragraph should also include a summary of the news articles.

P. 44 Teaching tip: Point out that questionnaire construction is an important skill to include on a resume. Encourage students to take a social research methods class to learn this skill. You might encourage students to check out the survey and questionnaire tutorial posted on www.statpac.com.

P. 46 Student Activity: "The Life of Citrus Picker," as described above by Ted Conover, captures the participant observation style of research. Ask students to observe an occupational activity and then use Conover's description of citrus picking as a model for writing up their observations. p. 48 Discussion Tip: A Denver news station asked its viewership to respond to this question: "Do you think a fence should be built along the U.S.-Mexico border to keep track of who’s entering the country?" The response choices were: (1) Yes, I do; (2) No, I do not; and (3) Not sure. Ask students if they see anything wrong with this question's wording. Point out the following: (1) Eighty miles of fence are already in place. Should the question be worded to let respondents know that? (2) Is the purpose of the fence to "keep track of whose entering" or is it to prevent certain types of people from entering the country illegally?

P. 50 Technology tip: Visit the National Public Radio website (npr.org), and enter keywords "Immigration: Do Border Fences Work?" to hear a segment that looks at the "effectiveness of barriers, borders, and walls in other nations."

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Clicker Questions

Chapter 2 focuses on the 2,000-mile border shared by the United States and Mexico, with particular emphasis on the existing and proposed fences. The turning point questions are designed to determine students’ attitudes toward the fences before and after reading the chapter. There are also questions about which theoretical perspective students find most and least useful for analyzing any issue.

Ask questions 1- 4 before students read the chapter.

1. Have you ever been to Mexico? a. Yes b. No

2. If yes, think about the last trip you made to Mexico? What was your reason for traveling to Mexico? a. Vacation/Leisure (shop, drink, eat) b. Visit relatives c. Exchange student d. Church-related mission e. Other

3. Do you know the United States has built fences in strategic locations along the U.S.- Mexico border? a. Yes b. No

4. Do you know the United States recently passed a law requiring 700 miles of fences and other barriers to be added to an existing 80 miles of fence? a. Yes b. No

5. Do you support the construction of 700 additional miles of fence and other barriers? a. Yes b. No c. Don’t know

6. Do you think the United States should build a fence and other barriers across the entire 2,000- mile border? a. Yes b. No c. Don’t know

Ask questions 7- 12 after students read the chapter.

7. Did you read Chapter 2? a. Yes b. No

8. Do you support the construction of 700 additional miles of fence and other barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border? a. Yes b. No c. Don’t know

9. Do you think the United States should build a fence and other barriers across the entire 2,000- mile U.S.-Mexico border? a. Yes b. No c. Don’t know

Note: You will need to compare answers to questions 8 and 9 with questions 5 and 6. Keep in mind that this comparison will capture change at the group level. Question 10 below captures change at the individual level.

10. Did reading the chapter and/or discussing the border fence change the way you think about the fence? a. Yes, I supported the fence and now oppose it. b. Yes, I opposed the fence and now support it. c. Yes, I supported the fence and now I don’t know. d. Yes, I opposed the fence and now I don’t know. e. No, I supported the fence and still support it. f. No, I opposed the fence and still oppose it. g. No, I still don’t know.

11. Which one of the three theoretical perspectives best fits with the way you approach analyzing social issues? a. Functionalist b. Conflict c. Symbolic Interaction

12. Which of the three theoretical perspective least fits with the way you approach analyzing social issues? a. Functionalist b. Conflict c. Symbolic Interaction

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Background Notes: United Mexican States (Mexico)

Size: About three times the size of Texas Capital: Mexico City (18.7 million) Population (2006): 107.4 million Ethnic groups: Indian-Spanish (mestizo) 60%, Indian 30%, Caucasian 9%, other 1% Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5% Infant mortality rate: 21.69/1000 Life expectancy: male 72.18 years; female 77.83 years Work force (2005): 39.81 million Workforce by Sector: Agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing-21.0%; services-32.2%; commerce-16.9%; manufacturing-18.7%; construction-5.6%; transportation and communication-4.5%; mining and quarrying-1.0%.

Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world and the second most- populous country in Latin America after Portuguese-speaking Brazil. About 70 percent of the people live in urban areas. Many Mexicans emigrate from rural areas that lack job opportunities—such as the underdeveloped southern states and the crowded central plateau—to the industrialized urban centers and the developing areas along the U.S.- Mexico border. According to some estimates, the population of the area around Mexico City is about 18 million, which would make it the largest concentration of population in the Western Hemisphere. Cities bordering on the United States—such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez—and cities in the interior—such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Puebla— have undergone sharp rises in population in recent years.

Mexico is highly dependent on exports to the U.S., which account for almost a quarter of the country’s GDP. The result is that the Mexican economy is strongly linked to the U.S. business cycle. Real GDP grew by three percent in 2005 and was projected to grow by four and a half percent for 2006. Mexico’s trade regime is among the most open in the world, with free trade agreements with the U.S., Canada, the EU, and many other countries. Since the 1994 devaluation of the peso, successive Mexican governments have improved the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals.

Mexico is among the world’s most open economies, but it is dependent on trade with the U.S., which bought 86 percent of its exports in 2005. Top U.S. exports to Mexico include electronic equipment, motor vehicle parts, and chemicals. Top Mexican exports to the U.S. include petroleum, cars, and electronic equipment. There is considerable intra-company trade . . . The most significant areas of friction involve agricultural products, such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, apples, and rice.

In 2005, Mexico was the world’s sixth-largest oil producer, its eighth-largest oil exporter, and the third-largest supplier of oil to the United States. Oil and gas revenues provide more than one-third of all Mexican Government revenues. Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex holds a constitutionally established monopoly for the exploration, production, transportation, and marketing of the nation’s oil. While private investment in natural gas transportation, distribution, and storage has been permitted, Pemex remains in sole control of natural gas exploration and production. Despite substantial reserves, Mexico is a net natural gas importer.

U.S. relations with Mexico are as important and complex as with any country in the world. A stable, democratic, and economically prosperous Mexico is fundamental to U.S. interests. U.S. relations with Mexico have a direct impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans—whether the issue is trade and economic reform, homeland security, drug control, migration, or the promotion of democracy. The U.S. and Mexico are partners in NAFTA and enjoy a rapidly developing trade relationship . . . The scope of U.S.-Mexican relations goes far beyond diplomatic and official contacts; it entails extensive commercial, cultural, and educational ties, as demonstrated by the annual figure of nearly a million legal border crossings a day. Additionally, more than a half-million American citizens live in Mexico. More than 2,600 U.S. companies have operations there, and the U.S. accounts for 55 percent of all foreign direct investment in Mexico. Along the 2,000-mile shared border, state and local governments interact closely.

Cooperation between the United States and Mexico along the common 2,000-mile border includes state and local problem-solving mechanisms, transportation planning, and institutions to address resource, environment, and health issues…As the number of people and the volume of cargo crossing the U.S.-Mexico border grow, so, too, does the need for coordinated infrastructure development. The multi-agency U.S.-Mexico Binational Group on Bridges and Border Crossings meets twice yearly to improve the efficiency of existing crossings and coordinate planning for new ones. The 10 U.S. and Mexican border states have become active participants in these meetings.

Source: Excerpted from U.S. Department of State: Background Notes http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm