Corruption in Twentieth Century Mexico

Abstract

The theme of corruption in Mexico is large, complex, and relatively unstudied. At any rate, while historians, political scientists, sociologists and others make frequent (passing) reference to corruption, there are few studies devoted specifically to the theme.1 Attempting a rapid résumé therefore presents problems; and these may (or may not) be exacerbated by the fact that my knowledge of the extensive comparative literature on corruption is quite limited.2 What I shall do, therefore, is offer some thoughts on Mexico, focusing on political corruption in the twentieth century and extracting some generalisations which may prove useful for broader comparative discussion.