Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: The Politics of Education Reform in Mexico

这个博士论文研究支持项目探讨了教育改革在墨西哥次国家一级的政治。 在拉丁美洲和大部分发展中国家盛行的市场经济改革背景下，学者和决策者开始强调需要对社会政策领域进行改革。 教育尤其重要，这既是因为整个区域的成就水平相对较低，也是因为它有潜力补充宏观经济政策，以实现长期、公平的增长。 墨西哥的教育系统在过去25年中经历了权力下放的过程，这为研究墨西哥各州改革战略差异巨大的政治决定因素提供了机会。 这项研究建立在对欧洲和拉丁美洲社会支出水平原因的研究基础上，从跨国分析转向单一联邦系统内的跨州比较。 此外，它在理论和经验上都有助于发展中国家在经济结构调整政策范围内进行社会政策改革的政治学方面的新文献。对三个案例研究-瓜纳华托、米霍坎和普埃布拉-的深入审查，嵌套在对墨西哥32个联邦单位（31个州和联邦区）的广泛统计分析中。 后者利用从墨西哥城的统计和教育机构收集的数据，前者是基于对政治家，教师工会官员，商界领袖和教育工作者在三种情况下的采访。这项研究有助于社会广泛了解社会政策如何因应市场自由化而改变。 除了对政治学的贡献外，本研究还通过强调政策建议的政治可行性，增加了关于课程改革和教育的社会经济回报的辩论。 最后，这项研究实际上有助于经济发展战略，提供洞察政策的政治可行性，提供更高水平的教育机会和质量的发展中国家的人民。

This Doctoral Dissertation Research Support project examines the politics of education reform at the sub-national level in Mexico. In the context of market-oriented economic reforms that have prevailed in Latin America and much of the developing world, scholars and policymakers have begun to emphasize the need to reform areas of social policy. Education is particularly important, both because of the relatively low levels of achievement throughout the region, and because of its potential to complement macroeconomic policies to achieve long-term, equitable growth. Mexico's education system has undergone a process of decentralization over the last 25 years that offers an opportunity to examine the political determinants of significant variation in reform strategy across the Mexican states. This research builds upon studies of the causes of levels of social spending in Europe and Latin America by moving from cross-national analysis to cross-state comparison within a single federal system. Furthermore, it contributes both theoretically and empirically to a nascent literature on the politics of social policy reform in developing countries in the context of economic structural adjustment policies. An in depth examination of three case studies- -Guanajuato, Michoacan, and Puebla - -are nested within a broad statistical analysis of the 32 federal units (31 states and the Federal District) in Mexico. The latter utilize data gathered from statistical and educational institutions in Mexico City, and the former are based upon interviews with politicians, teacher union officials, business leaders, and educators in each of the three cases. The research can contribute a broad social understanding of how social policies change in response to market liberalization. In addition to its contribution to political science, this study adds to debates on curricular reform and the socioeconomic returns to education by highlighting the political viability of policy suggestions. Finally, this research contributes practically to economic development strategies by offering insight into the political feasibility of policies that offer higher levels of educational access and quality to people in developing countries.