Numerous formerly authoritarian regimes appear to be undergoing transitions to democratic government. The process of democratization, however, is highly diverse. Just as there are many different types of authoritarian regimes and different types of democracies, there are many different paths from authoritarianism to democracy. This award supports research on the development of opposition parties in formerly one party political systems. It does so through intensive field studies of the development of opposition parties in Mexico. Specifically, this research uses interviews with urban political elites to examine the nature and exercise of political power in Mexico, to assess the effectiveness of emergent opposition parties in responding to the challenges of exercising local political power, and to assess the viability of ongoing democratization processes in Mexico. Although focussed on Mexico, the results of this research should have broader implications for the transition to democracy of other non-communist, one party political systems. When completed, this project should contribute to our understanding not only of the nature and viability of the democratization process in Mexico but to the prospects more generally for developing opposition parties in one party states.
