How do non-governmental organizations (NGOs) facilitate and expand citizen participation in the political process in Mexico? What role do these organizations play in the mediation between citizens and the local and state level government? To answer these questions, the proposed research will examine the role of NGOs in political participation in one Mexican city in a country whose political and economic terrain has undergone dramatic changes in the past two decades. The proposed research seeks to elucidate three major themes. First, the project investigates the strategies and tactics of the NGOs, which focuses on the severity, frequency, and range of collective action. Second, I explore the types of demands of the organizations, to whom do they make the demands, and what social groups do they claim to represent. Third, I analyze the differences of NGOs based upon the identity of the organization, such as class, gender, and race/ethnicity. This project is a field case study approach with multiple data collection strategies. Using a single embedded case study design, I examine the power relationships in how NGOs represent citizens' interests as well as how NGOs strategize their relationship with the State and other local institutions of power. I will conduct in-depth, tape-recorded interviews with the directors and members of the NGOs. Interviews will be supplemented by observations of NGO activities, such as meetings and demonstrations as well as archival research. This research is timely because of the recent political changes in Mexico and important because of the unique setting of Monterrey, which is a stronghold of an opposition party and a city that many scholars have tended to ignore. This research will make a contribution to sociology in several ways: In an era of political restructuring toward democracy and economic restructuring toward Neoliberalism and market economies, understanding NGO mobilization is important to build our knowledge of how these organizations provide access for citizens to the political process. This project helps to promote learning, teaching, and research across national boundaries and encourages cross-cultural exchanges between U.S. and Mexican scholars.
