Dinámicas de relación sociedad-Estado en la educación en Veracruz, México

Abstract

There is interest in analyzing participation in Mexico. Through the case study of education, the objective is to analyze different patterns of relationship between society and State beyond institutional devices. The methodology is mixed: we applied focus groups and interviews, a questionnaire to school boards (N = 127) was applied, databases petitions to the authorities (N = 2783) and newspaper notes (N = 1326) were built. The results describe three dynamics of relationship between society and State: 1) regulated participation, which is expressed in the performance of the School Councils of Social Participation, 2) particularistic relations, which are based on finding a direct relationship between citizen-authority through petitions and applications, and 3) contentious-disruptive relationships characterized by protest actions. The effects of these dynamics are discussed, in terms of reproducing the asymmetries of power and building differentiated response capabilities by the government, and a research agenda is proposed.