Criminal governance and electoral processes in Mexico:The case of the Lower Balsas region of Michoacán.

Gobernanza criminal y procesos electorales en México. Un análisis a nivel de gobiernos locales

The article discusses the relationship between criminal governance, electoral processes, and drug trafficking in Mexico by analyzing a specific region, the Bajo Balsas Michoacano, and focusing the analysis at the level of Mexican local governments. Contrary to the common beliefthat the lack of coordination between federal, state, and municipal governmentsfrom different political parties is a substantive factor infailure in Mexican government strategies against organized crime, this study proposes that democratic processes and changes inpolitical power have generated political agendas and incentives that encouragecooperation between local political actors and criminal groups,especially during highly competitive electoral processes. Based ona qualitative analysis of key actors in the region, there is a clearassociation between the local political class, criminal groups, and processes ofstate capture in Bajo Balsas Michoacano and the formation of criminal governance structures. The results of the study highlight the need for a comprehensive perspective in conceptualizing the problem of public security in Mexico, one that transcends a purely police and criminal vision and understands and incorporates the processes of political change that lie behind the violence in Mexico.