Toward Mexico's democratization : parties, campaigns, elections, and public opinion ; [papers of a conference held in Cambridge, Mass., Oct. 31, 1997

Recent elections in Mexico have seen dramatic changes in public opinion toward political parties. Focusing on the elections of 1994 and 1997, the book evaluates campaign strategies, voting habits, party loyalty and the decline of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). It begins by situating the transformation of Mexico's parties in historical context, then goes on to consider the role of gender and the resurgence of the Mexican left. The contributors, drawn from the U.S. and Mexico, focus on both the strategies of political parties to woo voters, and how voters actually respond. They also develop several methodological innovations for studying public opinion that can be applied beyond the case of Mexico. Booknews Contributors from the US and Mexico analyze the Mexican elections of 1994 and 1997, which saw the first cracks in the 70-year monopoly of power by the Institutional Revolutionary Party. They evaluate campaign strategies, voting habits, party loyalty, the historical context, the role of gender, the resurgence of the left, and other topics. They also develop several methodological innovations for studying public opinion that can be applied elsewhere. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknew.com) In the dark nights of the 1970s, harsh dictatorship ruled over most Latin American countries. Sophisticated electoral analysis in Latin America is virtually in its infancy.