Neighborhood Organizations, Local Accountability and the Rule of Law in Two Mexican Municipalities

Abstract : "Little is known about the way that residents interact with local government authorities as they express their concerns about public safety and policing, as well as their ideas and demands for responses to these issues. The proposed paper draws from fieldwork in two metropolitan municipalities of the State of Mexico to understand these processes. It focuses in particular on the role of neighborhood associations as the primary intermediaries between residents and the municipality, including its department of public security. The findings from this field research have important implications for all three of the aspects of the rule of law suggested for this project. It touches on the ways in which leaders of neighborhood associations perceive and act on issues of public order within their jurisdictions; it considers the everyday aspects of accountability of local officials to their constituents; and, by comparing conditions and patterns in two sharply contrasting localities (Huixquilucan and Nezahuacoyotl), it encompasses questions of access to justice, both on individual and neighborhood bases." Source : Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies. Project on Reforming the Administration of Justice in Mexico. U. C. San Diego

Download PDF Publication