University of California, Los Angeles Department of Political Science Government and Politics in Latin America: States of Middle America Political Science 154A 2016 Fall Quarter Syllabus Meetings: Course Website: Instructor: Email: Office Hours: Perloff 1102 M/W 8:00AM 9:50AM https://moodle2.sscnet.ucla.edu/course/view/16f-polsci154a-1 Jesse Acevedo jesseacevedo@ucla.edu 4258 Bunche, M/W 10AM-11AM Course Description: This course examines the politics of Mexico and the five Central American Republics (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica). The beginning of the course will be about Mexican politics from the Revolution to the present. Afterwards, we will cover Central American Politics from the 1930s to the present. The final couple weeks of the course will be about contemporary issues these countries face. We will identify and analyze the evolution of key political institutions and how they shape politics in the region. This course will also cover relevant issues such as economic globalization, migration, rising drug and gang violence, and the role of the United States. Grading Your grade will be based on three multiple-choice reading quizzes, an in-class midterm and a final exam. The reading quizzes be based on the readings and scantrons will be required to take the quiz. The midterm and the final exam will be taken in class. There are no makeup quizzes or makeup exams. Quizzes will begin promptly at 8am and I will only provide 30 minutes for each quiz. THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT. Item Due Date Percent of Final Grade Reading Quiz 1: Mexico 10/19 10 Reading Quiz 2: Central America 11/14 10 Reading Quiz 3: Contemporary Issues 11/30 10 In-Class Midterm 10/31 30 Final Exam (Friday December 9, 3-6pm) 12/09 40 Page 1 of 6
CLASS SCHEDULE & READINGS September 26: No class. Week 1 MEXICAN POLITICS September 28: Course Introduction. Introducing Mexico & The Mexican Revolution. Littlefield, 2016. Chapter 1 (20-31) and Chapter 2 Week 2 October 3: Institutions and Parties Littlefield, 2016. Chapters 6 (all), 7 (pages 117-127) Weldon, Jeffrey. "The political sources of presidencialismo in Mexico."Presidentialism and democracy in Latin America 225 (1997). (SKIM 228-234) Nacif, Benito. The Fall of the Dominant Presidency: Lawmaking under Divided Government in Mexico. The Oxford Handbook of Mexican Politics. Oxford University Press, 2012. (ONLY pp 234-248) Castañeda, Jorge G. Perpetuating power: How Mexican presidents were chosen. New Press, 2000. (pp. xvii- xxiv, 3-11) OPTIONAL. October 5: PRI and Single Party Dominance Littlefield, 2016. Chapters 3 Magaloni, Beatriz. Voting for autocracy: Hegemonic party survival and its demise in Mexico. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Chapter 1 (READ 44-55, 64-73, 79-81) Greene, Kenneth F. Why dominant parties lose: Mexico's democratization in comparative perspective. Cambridge University Press, 2007. Chapter 3 (96-115) Magaloni, Beatriz, Alberto Diaz-Cayeros, and Federico Estévez. "Clientelism and portfolio diversification: a model of electoral investment with applications to Mexico." Patrons, clients, and policies: Patterns of democratic accountability and political competition (2007): 182-205. Week 3 October 10: The Fall of the PRI and Democratization Littlefield, 2016. Chapters 4 Greene, Kenneth F. Why dominant parties lose: Mexico's democratization in comparative perspective. Cambridge University Press, 2007. Chapter 7 (READ 210-222, 252-254, the rest is optional)
Magaloni, Beatriz. Voting for autocracy: Hegemonic party survival and its demise in Mexico. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Chapter 2 Flores-Macías, Gustavo. "Mexico's 2012 Elections: The Return of the PRI."Journal of Democracy 24.1 (2013): 128-141. October 12: Federalism and Subnational Politics and Contemporary Politics Littlefield, 2016. Chapters 5 Diaz-Cayeros, Alberto. Decentralization, Democratization, and Federalism in Mexico Cornelius, Wayne A., and Jane Hindley, eds. Subnational politics and democratization in Mexico. Center for US-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego, 1999. Chapter 2-3 (OPTIONAL) Week 4 October 17: Mexican Political Economy Edmonds-Poli, Emily, and David A. Shirk. Contemporary Mexican Politics. Rowman & Littlefield, 2016. Chapter 10. Hanson, Gordon H. "Why isn't Mexico rich?." Journal of Economic Literature 48.4 (2010): 987-1004. Mayer-Serra, Carlos Elizondo. "Perverse equilibria: unsuitable but durable institutions." No Growth without Equity? Inequality, Interests, and Competition in Mexico (2009): 157-202. Economist. The Two Mexicos October 19: ** MEXICO READING QUIZ ** CENTRAL AMERICAN POLITICS October 19: Introducing Central America Mahoney, James. The legacies of liberalism: Path dependence and political regimes in Central America. JHU Press, 2001.: (Pages 3-16) America: global forces, rebellion, and change. Westview Press, 2014. Chapters 4 8. * Note: You have until October 31 (midterm) to read the 5 chapters. Week 5 October 24: Revolution and Civil War Lehoucq, Fabrice. "The Politics of Modern Central America." (2012).: Chapters 1-2 America: global forces, rebellion, and change. Westview Press, 2014.Chapters 4 8.
October 26: Democratization in Central America Lehoucq, Fabrice. "The Politics of Modern Central America." (2012). Chapter 3 America: global forces, rebellion, and change. Westview Press, 2014. Pages 30-48, Chapters 4 8. Karl, Terry Lynn. "The hybrid regimes of Central America." Journal of democracy 6.3 (1995): 72-86. Week 6 October 31: **Midterm ** November 2: Contemporary Politics in Central American Democracies Lehoucq, Fabrice. "The Politics of Modern Central America." (2012). Read Chapter 5 America: global forces, rebellion, and change. Westview Press, 2014.: Chapter 4-8, & 9 Governance. Routledge, 2013. Chapter 15 (OPTIONAL) Week 7 November 7: Central American Democracies: Parties, Institutions, and Elections. Sanchez-Ancochea, Diego, and Salvador Martí i Puig. Handbook of Central American Governance. Routledge, 2013. Chapter 11, 13, 14 November 9: (International) Political Economy in Central America Lehoucq, Fabrice. "The Politics of Modern Central America." (2012). Chapter 4 Willis, Eliza J., and Janet A. Seiz. "The CAFTA Conflict and Costa Rica's Democracy: Assessing the 2007 Referendum." Latin American Politics and Society 54.3 (2012): 123-156. Governance. Routledge, 2013. Chapter 2
Week 8 November 14 ** CENTRAL AMERICA READING QUIZ ** November 14: Role of the United States in Central America America: global forces, rebellion, and change. Westview Press, 2014. Chapter 10 Governance. Routledge, 2013. Chapter 19 Arnson, Cynthia. Crossroads: Congress, the President, and Central America, 1976-1993. Penn State Press, 1993. Introduction and Conclusion CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN MEXICO & CENTRAL AMERICA November 16: Migration (Part I) Henderson, Timothy J. "Mexican Immigration to the United States." A Companion to Mexican History and Culture (2011): 604-615. Chinchilla, Norma Stoltz, and Nora Hamilton. "Central American immigrants: Diverse populations, changing communities." The Columbia history of Latinos in the United States since (1960): 187-228. Lundquist, Jennifer H., and Douglas S. Massey. "Politics or economics? International migration during the Nicaraguan Contra War." Journal of Latin American Studies 37.1 (2005): 29-53. Pérez-Armendáriz, Clarisa, and David Crow. "Do migrants remit democracy? International migration, political beliefs, and behavior in Mexico." Comparative political studies (2009). Goodman, Gary L., and Jonathan T. Hiskey. "Exit without leaving: political disengagement in high migration municipalities in Mexico." Comparative Politics 40.2 (2008): 169-188. Week 9 November 21: Migration (Part II) Simpser, Alberto, Lauren Duquette-Rury, and Juan Fernando Ibarra. "The Political Economy of Social Spending by Local Government: A Study of the 3 1 Program in Mexico." Latin American Research Review 51.1 (2016): 62-83. Burgess, Katrina. "Collective Remittances and Migrant State Collaboration in Mexico and El Salvador." Latin American Politics and Society 54.4 (2012): 119-146. Gonzalez-Barrera, Ana. More Mexicans Leaving than Coming to the U.S. Pew Research Center.
Orozco, Manuel and Julia Yansura. Understanding Central American Migration: The crisis of Central American child migrants in context. Inter-American Dialogue. November 23: Race Politics Governance. Routledge, 2013. Chapter 17 Díaz-Azofeifa, Gisella. "Paradoxes of Costa Rican Multiculturalism." Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies 7.2 (2012): 137-154. More TBA Week 10 November 28: Narcos y Maras: Drugs and Violence in Mexico and Central America Heinle, Kimberly, Octavio Rodríguez Ferreira, and David A. Shirk. "Drug violence in Mexico." (2014). Maurer, N. (2012). Criminal Organizations and Enterprise. ReVista, the Harvard Review of Latin America, XI(2):15 18. Poiré, A. (2012). Fighting for Security in Mexico. ReVista, the Harvard Review of Latin America, XI(2):23 25. Littlefield, 2016. Chapters 11 Cruz, José Miguel. "Criminal violence and democratization in central America: the survival of the violent state." Latin American Politics and Society 53.4 (2011): 1-33. The Economist: The Tormented Isthmus & A Surprising Safe Haven Berthet, Rodrigo Serrano, and J. Humberto Lopez. Crime and violence in Central America: A development challenge. World Bank, 2011. (Optional) November 30: ** FINAL READING QUIZ ** November 30: Transnationalism & Wrap Up TBA