Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Examples of corruption in Mexico

Often, textbook descriptions of regimes offer generalizations without many details. After all, textbooks cannot be comprehensive.

This article from The Los Angeles Times, offers a few details about the problem of corruption in Mexico.

Corruption hurting Mexico's fight against crime, Calderon says

"Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Tuesday said his government was making strides against corruption but warned that graft remained a threat to the nation's efforts against crime...

"The president said his administration had broken up corruption rings in the state-owned oil company and in Mexican customs and public works agencies...

"Mexico has long been rife with corruption, which ranges from the small bribes that motorists pay traffic officers to the suitcases of cash that drug traffickers have delivered to law enforcement authorities. Ordinary Mexicans routinely pay bribes to get telephone service, loans and even parking spaces.



"A study this year by Transparency Mexico found that Mexicans paid about $2.6 billion in bribes in 2007, or more than $24 each on average...

"Mexican government agencies operate more openly than in past decades thanks to reforms, such as a 2002 freedom-of-information law that gives residents the right to scrutinize officials' salaries and other details of government operations.

"But Calderon said too few government agencies had citizen oversight. He also called on schools, civic organizations and the media to help youngsters develop greater respect for the rule of law."


See also: PBS resources for learning more about Mexico

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