Abstract

BENSUSAN, Graciela  and  MIDDLEBROOK, Kevin J.. Political change from the outside in: U.S. trade leverage and labor rights reform in Mexico. Foro int [online]. 2020, vol.60, n.3, pp.985-1039.  Epub Oct 23, 2020. ISSN 0185-013X.  https://doi.org/10.24201/fi.v60i3.2670.

This article examines Mexico-U.S. negotiations over labor rights in Mexico in the context of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement and a revised North American Free Trade Agreement. Strong U.S. pressures caused Mexico to adopt a constitutional reform that significantly strengthened the legal basis for democratic worker rights. Not only did these changes affect an area of core state sovereignty and a pillar of Mexican political economy, but they also constituted the only known instance of Mexico adopting a constitutional reform in response to an explicit external demand. In the interdependent but asymmetrical relationship between Mexico and the United States, what factors-power asymmetries between the two countries, the decision-making context, and/or Mexican government officials’ negotiating strategies and political goals-explain the character and outcome of these interactions? The conclusion highlights the implications of this crucial case for future bilateral relations.

Keywords : relations; asymmetrical complex interdependence; labor rights; Trans-Pacific Partnership; NAFTA.

        · abstract in Spanish | French     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )