Higher education and political transitions in Mexico

Author: Roberto Rodríguez Gómez
Abstract: This essay analyzes the effects of the political transitions underway in Mexico from the 1980s to the present on the country´s higher education system. It begins by providing an analytic framework for use in discussing relevant issues, particularly topics prevalent in the academic literature; these include the delimitation of faculties and attributions, resource competition, and systematic control and coordination, in the context of the joint processes of democratization and federalism. Next, it analyzes three processes of political transformation underway in the country: the reforms to the federal administrative apparatus, the transition to a multiparty system, and the new fiscal federalism. The essay follows with a discussion of the impact of these changes on the Mexican higher education system. Finally, it synthesizes the above arguments and reflects on likely scenarios for the immediate future.
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