Political change from the outside in. U.S. trade leverage and labor rights reform in Mexico

Abstract

This article examines Mexico-U.S. negotiations over labor rights in Mexico in the context of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and a revised North American Free Trade Agreement. Strong U.S. pressures caused Mexico to adopt constitutional reforms that significantly strengthened the legal basis for democratic worker rights. Not only did these changes affect an area of core state sovereignty and a pillar of Mexican political economy, but they also constituted the only known instance of Mexico adopting a constitutional reform in response to an explicit external demand. In the interdependent but asymmetrical relationship between Mexico and the United States, what factors–power asymmetries between the two countries, the decision-making context, and/or Mexican government officials’ negotiating strategies and political goals–explain the character and outcome of these interactions? The conclusion highlights the implications of this crucial case for future bilateral relations.