Savage democracy : institutional change and party development in Mexico / Steven T. Wuhs.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [159]-169) and index.

1. What Is Savage Democracy? -- 2. Before Savage Democracy: Authoritarianism in Mexico -- 3. Origins of the Democratic Imperative -- 4. Selecting Loyalists Versus Picking Winners -- 5. Partisan Mystics Versus Political Professionals -- 6. Affiliation Versus Alliance Versus Absorption -- 7. The End of Savage Democracy? -- Epilogue: The Legacy of the Democratic Imperative.

"Mexico finally shed its authoritarian past with the victory of the PAN candidate Vicente Fox in the 2000 election. But the consolidation and growth of democracy in Mexico have been complicated by the institutional residues of the past. In particular, the opposition parties, PAN and PRD, that helped dislodge the long-ruling PRI from its historical dominance of Mexican politics have been hampered by decisions their leaders made about organizing party life that sought to escape what they viewed as the authoritarian legacies of the PRI. The irony is that in striving for intraparty democracy, the PAN and PRD have rendered themselves less effective as vehicles for the promotion of democracy in the society at large." "This is the story of "savage democracy" that Steven Wuhs tells in his investigation of the PAN and PRD, the first book-length comparative study of these two parties. He begins by depicting how the PRI functioned and then, in successive chapters, compares how PAN and PRD leaders reacted to the PRI's institutions in choosing rules for selecting candidates to run for office, organizing their party's bureaucracy, and linking to groups in civil society. What he shows is that "savage democracy has undermined the nomination of electable candidates, fostered intense intra-party factions and fights, and interfered with the development of party organizations capable of mounting effective campaigns."" "In the final chapter and epilogue, he draws out the implications of "savage democracy" for the fate of Mexico's political future, assesses the consequences of the disputed election of 2006, and extends the argument to other newly established democracies."--BOOK JACKET.