A Comparative Case Analysis of the International & Domestic Determinants of Judicial Reform in Mexico, 2012 - 2016

Abstract

In the last ten years, Mexico’s judicial fabric has faced changes of unprecedented nature and scope. A series of constitutional amendments in 2008 produced a judicial reform, mandating a complete overhaul of the Mexican judiciary. The reform was sweeping and ambitious, with the ultimate objective of transforming the Mexican judicial system from a mixed inquisitorial to an adversarial system by June 2016. This thesis attempts to analyze potential relationships between international and domestic factors and the uneven implementation patterns observed across Mexico between 2008 and 2016 as the country sought to bring the judicial reform to life in its thirty-two federal entities. I carry out a comparative case analysis between the Mexican states of Coahuila and Querétaro, employing process tracing to test two hypotheses that explore (1) the relationship between Mérida Initiative support (an international factor) and the observed implementation pattern across the country, and (2) the relationship between mayoral political party alignment with the President of Mexico (a domestic factor) and the observed implementation pattern within each state. Using a theory of institutional strength as an underlying framework for analysis, this thesis seeks to shed light on the greater implications about the diplomatic relationship between the United States and Mexico on the topic of security over the last decade. Moreover, exploring the strategies employed by Mexican states to execute judicial reform implementation at the local level can illuminate more about the elements the country itself deems integral to the success of institutional reform.