Land Reform in Mexico: 1910—1980

Land Reform in Mexico: 1910–1980 presents the workings of the Mexican government by analyzing actual policies, their implementation, and their outcomes in a significant and central sector of the Mexican economy, agriculture. This book discusses the pattern of Mexican redistribution policy in agriculture over an extensive period of time, with emphasis on the causes and effects of these policy shifts. Organized into eight chapters, this book begins with an overview of the agricultural policy and modernization strategy of Mexico. This text then relates regional variations in the rural social structure of the late 19th century to the history of Mexico's unique agricultural policy. Other chapters consider the policy shifts reflected in agrarian legislation by presidential period. This book discusses as well the politics of land reform and its linkages to local, state, and national administrations. The final chapter deals with the status of agricultural policy in Mexico during the 1980s. This book is a valuable resource for scholar and students with interest in Mexican politics.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

Background

The Research Design

The Regional Dimension

2. Regional Variations in Prerevolutionary Mexican Society

Introduction

The Porfirian Period: Prelude to Revolution

Land Tenure on the Eve of the Revolution

The Political Economy of the North

The Political Economy of the Center East

The Political Economy of the South

The Political Economy of the Center West

Conclusions

3. The Changing Pattern of Land Reform Legislation

Introduction

The Decrees of 1915 and 1916

National Land Reform Legislation: The Constitution of 1917

Eligibility

Appeal

Expropriation

Plot Size and Types of Land Tenure

Conclusions

4. The Politics of Land Reform in Mexico: Local, State, and National Linkages

Introduction

Administrative Organization of the Reform

Legislation Affecting the Administrative Structure of Land Reform

Petitions at the National Level

Regional Variations in the Distribution of Land

Veracruz and Agrarian Reform: Local, State, and National Linkages

Conclusions

5. Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of Mexican Land Reform

Background

The Timing of the Reform

Unfulfilled Promises

Regional Variations in the Distribution of Land

Quality of Land Distributed

The Ejido and the Central Government

Conclusions

6. Peasants and Public Policy: Agricultural Credit and Productivity

Introduction

Agricultural Investment: 1940-1980

Agricultural Credit

The Agricultural Policies of Echeverria and LÓpez Portillo

The Pricing of Agricultural Goods

Poor Land, Scant Water, and Too Many People

Conclusions

7. Migration, Economic Opportunity, and Land Redistribution in Mexico

Introduction

Mexican Migration to the United States

The Role of Land Reform and Population Growth in Stimulating or Deterring Immigration

The Role of the U.S. Economy in Stimulating and Deterring Immigration

Migration, U.S. Unemployment, and Land Reform

A Model of Migration

Conclusion

8. Conclusions

The Pattern of Demand and Response

The History of Governmental Agricultural Policy

The Next Decade

Appendixes

Appendix A. Definitive Distribution of Land until 1933

Appendix B. Example of a Diario Oficial Entry

Appendix C. Presidential Actions (Resoluciones): 1916-1976

Appendix D. Example of Selected Resolutions from the Ministry of Agrarian Reform Originally Published in the Diario Oficial

Appendix E. Summary of Selected Resolutions for Mexico, 1916-1976

Appendix F. Linear Systems Model

References

Index