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Democratization, Education Reform, and the Mexican Teachers' Union

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

R. Douglas Hecock
R. Douglas Hecock*
Affiliation:
Bucknell University
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Abstract

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This study examines the effect of democratization on a key education reform across three Mexican states. Previous scholarship has found a positive effect of electoral competition on social spending, as leaders seek to improve their reelection prospects by delivering services to voters. However, the evidence presented here indicates that more money has not meant better educational outcomes in Mexico. Rather, new and vulnerable elected leaders are especially susceptible to the demands of powerful interest groups at the expense of accountability to constituents. In this case, the dominant teachers' union has used its leverage to exact greater control over the country's resource-rich merit pay program for teachers. It has exploited this control to increase salaries and decrease standards for advancement up the remuneration ladder. The evidence suggests that increased electoral competition has led to the empowerment of entrenched interests rather than voters, with an overall negative effect on education.

Resumen

Resumen

Este artículo examina los efectos de la democratización en una reforma importante de la educación básica en tres entidades mexicanas. Investigaciones previas han identificado un efecto positivo de la competencia electoral en el presupuesto educativo, un egreso que líderes políticos utilizan para mejorar su perfil electoral procurando servicios para votantes. Sin embargo, la evidencia presentada aquí indica que más recursos no necesariamente se convierten en mejores resultados educativos en México. Al contrario, nuevos líderes democráticos son muy vulnerables y son susceptibles a las demandas de intereses poderosos, resultando en un alto costo en cuanto a la rendición de cuentas. En este caso, el Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de la Educación (SNTE) ha podido utilizar su influencia para aumentar su control sobre los grandes recursos del programa salarial llamado Carrera Magisterial. El SNTE ha explotado este control para aumentar los salarios de maestros y reducir los estándares para avanzar en el programa. La evidencia indica que los incrementos en competencia electoral han aumentado el poder de intereses especiales en lugar de los votantes, con un efecto bastante negativo en la educación.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , 2014 , pp. 62 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by the Latin American Studies Association

Footnotes

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation Award SES-0317942 and the Social Science Research Council. I thank Jeff Drope, Wendy Hunter, Matt Ingram, Eric Jepsen, Carlos Ornelas, Mark Peceny, Ken Roberts, Bill Stanley, and the LARR reviewers and editors.

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