Electoral Competition and Institutional Change in Mexico

"...will certainly become standard fare for students of new Mexican politics." —Latin American Research Review

"Caroline Beer makes an important contribution to this approach to Mexican democratization by examining state-level electoral competition in the 1990s and its impact on institutional development, particularly of state legislatures, and on political recruitment, especially of gubernatorial candidates. She argues that democratization resulted from a complex interplay between opposition victories in subnational elections and important democratic advances in the national political arena. Beer has provided a conceptually lucid and carefully researched analysis of the subnational electoral competition and its implications for institutional development at the state level. Any study that seeks to offer a comprehensive view of Mexican democratization must incorporate her insights." —Perspectives on Politics

"...an innovative and methodologically sophisticated analysis of electoral politics in Mexican states. ...a brilliant example of meticulous scholarship.... ...Beer makes a key contribution to our understanding of contemporary Mexican politics, and to the academic debate about the causes of institutional change and the consequences of democratization. ...the book sets high standards for future analysis of electoral politics in Mexico...."—Revista Europea de Estudios Latinoamericanos y del Caribe/European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies

"Beer writes well, and the book is logically organised. It will be of interest to all researchers studying the political consequences of democratisation in Latin America." —Journal of Latin American Studies

“Beer's book departs from standard studies of democratization by focusing on subnational politics, the uneven nature of democratic transition across subnational units, and the bottom-up dynamics of transition.” —Perspectives on Political Science

“Beer’s straightforward and accessible writing style, methodological rigor, and academic contribution are first class. Beer’s book is a must for students of Mexican politics and of the democratization process in general. Essential.” —Choice