Town Governments, Local Society, and Democracy. A Perspective from Mexico's Northern Frontier

Abstract

The author analyzes the municipal institution in Mexico, in a context of new social actors. The situation he presents does not cease to be paradoxical. First, the ever-greater social complexity in which munici- pal action is carried out clashes with a traditional organizational struc- ture, not designed to deal with diversity. Second, this same structure obstructs the new needs appearing within the different areas of local administration, which point to a growing municipal-level interven- tion. Changes are foreseen in the transition of these town govern- ments, although their direction and objectives are unknown. Besides their validity for analyzing the municipalities along the Northern frontier, the findings presented here may be extended to the rest of Mexico.