Mexican Panel Survey 2006: Electoral Campaigns and Political Representation in a New Democracy

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

How certain issues become the subjects of political contestation is a crucial question for democratic governance. Building on the success of a mahor survey research poject conducted during Mexico's 2000 presidential race, the investigators analyze the dynamics of "issue emergence" in Mexico's general election of 2006. They will use these findings to address broader arguments about the nature of representation and accountability in modern democratic systems, with a special focus on emerging democracies. The research involves a major project during Mexico's 2006 election campaigns building on a successful, smaller scale study in 2000. The project examines democratic consolidation in Mexico through the lens of electoral politics. Who sets the agenda in Mexican elections? To what extent does this agenda respond to, engage, or ignore ordinary citizens? And, what do the dynamics of "issue emergence" mean for democratic representation? Broader value: The project examines the types of issues that emerge as salient over the course of Mexico's 2006 campaign. They will document how the mass public, candidates, political parties, and the media interact to shape the subjects of electoral contestation--taking into account the possibility that political elites may anticipate the preferences of ordinary citizens and of other elites. In particular, they will address the extent to which campaigns remain a "top-down" process in Mexico's new democracy. Ultimately, they hope to understand why electoral campaigns highlight or downplay certain issues, and to assess the implications of these dynamics for democratic governance. Combined with past research on Mexico's 2000 presidential campaign, data from this project will help to shed light on key issues in democratic consolidation.