Keywords
citizen attitudes toward neoliberalism
utilitarian explanation
cultural explanation
perceptions of US influence in Mexico
How to Cite
Abstract
Using survey data collected in Mexico in 1991 and 1996, this study examines empirically the regional bases of public support for neoliberal reforms (privatization and NAFTA) . Citizen support for these reforms was found to be higher in the more economically developed northern states and the Federal District than in the southern and central states even though the level of support declined in all regions between 1991 and 1996.Two alternative hypotheses for regional variation in citizen support for these reforms are examined. First, support for neoliberal reforms will be higher in those regions in which citizens are more like ly to have benefited from these reforms and in which citizens are satisfied with economic and political conditions (a utilitarian explanation). Second, citizen support for neoliberal reforms will be higher in those regions in which citizens exhibit more favorable orientations toward the United States (a cultural explanation). The data analysis shows more consistent support for the utilitarian hypothesis; however, more favorable orientations toward the United States help to explain why support for neoliberal reforms is higher in northern Mexico than in the other regions.
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