The Making of Mexico
Revolution, Reform, and Transformation

Pamela K. Starr (Author)

9781509564255, Polity Press

Hardback, published 20 March 2026

276 pages
23.1 x 15 x 2.8 cm, 0.544 kg

"I have eagerly awaited Pamela K. Starr's Mexico analysis for years, and The Making of Mexico does not disappoint. Generalists trying to understand Mexico will benefit from her profound understanding and insights, while experts will reexamine the clichés and their own biases."
Roberta S. Jacobson, former US ambassador to Mexico

"The Making of Mexico is an ambitious and comprehensive account of the construction of the Mexican state. For readers seeking to understand not only what the Mexican state is today, but how it was made and remade over time, this book is an essential reference. No other single volume offers such a sustained, panoramic review of the Mexican state across its long and contested history."
Rafael Fernandez de Castro, University of California San Diego

Mexico matters. It is one of the most important emerging market economies in the world and arguably the most important country in the everyday lives of Americans. Yet what do we really know about it?

By revealing the unwritten rules of behavior that drive Mexico's politics, economy, and foreign policy, leading political scientist Pamela K. Starr explores the competing forces shaping Mexican modernity. Tracing the origins of these behavioral forces in history, she shows how they characterize Mexico's foreign relations and security challenges as well as explain the strengths and weaknesses of its institutions. Amid growing pressure for reform and tumultuous US–Mexico relations, Starr gets to the heart of the forces influencing decision-making in Mexico's current regime, known as the Fourth Transformation. Her fresh and concise analysis of Mexico – its historic trajectory and contemporary political landscape – unpacks why this modern market economy behaves as it does.

The Making of Mexico offers an incisive introduction to Mexico for students of Mexican history, politics, and political economy, as well as US–Mexico relations and Latin American politics.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations

Introduction

Part I History
1 Mexico's Pre-Revolutionary Experience
2 Revolutionary Inheritances
3 The PRI System in Action
4 The Collapse of the PRI System

Part II Reformist Mexico
5 Democracy
6 Security
7 Economy
8 Foreign Relations

Part III Mexico Today
9 The Fourth Transformation

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP]