AP Politics Final

Mexico: Country Case Study
AP Comparative Government and Politics
Fall 2011 Final Exam

Your group will create a presentation of 20 minutes (no longer) that teaches the class about one aspect of Mexico’s government and politics. Your presentation may consist of PowerPoint, video, lecture, interactive simulation, music, performance, or any other media you clear with Ms. Fugit.

1. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power (Alex, Felix, Rut, Alejandro)
a. What is the source of the government’s legitimacy?
b. What is the degree of the government’s legitimacy? (STUPID G) Elaborate at length.
c. What is the role of the government in the state’s economy?
d. Describe the state’s political culture.
e. Define camarillas and explain how their role continues to change in Mexico.

2. Political Institutions (Eddie, Marysol, Harold, Bianca)
a. Describe the structure and workings of the branches of government: executive, legislative, and judiciary.
b. Describe the ways the branches of government interact. How are the branches separated or fused?
c. Identify whether the state uses a parliamentary or a presidential system.
d. Describe the state’s electoral process and its process for recruiting political elites.
e. Describe the country’s party system and describe the prominent political parties.
f. Describe the state’s bureaucracy and its positive and negative effects.

3. Citizens, Society, and the State (Jhossept, Will, Stephanie, Gao)
a. Describe significant cleavages present in the state. Identify the type of cleavage, its roots, and its effects on citizens. Describe any formal policy created to assist the citizens affected by the cleavage.
b. Describe the role of civil society in the state: To what degree can citizens protest, strike, and express dissent? How free are the press and the media?
c. Identify and describe contemporary social movements. They could be environmental, antiglobalization, civil rights related, or otherwise.

4. Political and Economic Change (Christina, Jared, Julio, Kelly)
a. Describe Mexico’s political shifts throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Describe revolutions, coups, or other important events.
b. Describe how standards of living, income gaps, educational opportunities, and access to social services have changed over the past 100 years.
c. Describe corruption in the state and identify the sources of this corruption. Explain how corruption affects the legitimacy of the state and the standard of living of the citizens.
d. Describe how NAFTA has affected the state.

5. Public Policy (Lorenzo, Mande, Gina)
a. Explain how domestic policy is written in the state.
b. Explain how increased economic privatization has affected domestic policy in the state.
c. Describe significant interest groups and their influence.
d. Describe significant policy changes regarding civil rights, labor, or the environment.