Causes and electoral consequences of political assassinations

The role of organized crime in Mexico

Dados Bibliográficos

ID5720199
AutoresRoxana Gutiérrez-Romero (0000-0002-2958-5861, Queen Mary University of London, autor correspondente), Nayely Iturbe (Queen Mary University of London)
Ano2024
Volume115
Páginas103206
Data de publicação2024-11-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPolitical Geography (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0962-6298 • E-ISSN: 1873-5096
EditoraElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.polgeo.2024.103206
OpenAlexW4402734232
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas28

Mexico has experienced a notable surge in assassinations of political candidates and mayors. This article argues that these killings are largely driven by organized crime, aiming to influence candidate selection, control local governments for rent-seeking, and retaliate against government crackdowns. Using a new dataset of political assassinations in Mexico from 2000 to 2021 and instrumental variables, we address endogeneity concerns in the location and timing of government crackdowns. Our instruments include historical Chinese immigration patterns linked to opium cultivation in Mexico, local corn prices, and U.S. illicit drug prices. The findings reveal that candidates in municipalities near oil pipelines face an increased risk of assassination due to drug trafficking organizations expanding into oil theft, particularly during elections and fuel price hikes. Government arrests or killings of organized crime members trigger retaliatory violence, further endangering incumbent mayors. This political violence has a negligible impact on voter turnout, as it targets politicians rather than voters. However, voter turnout increases in areas where authorities disrupt drug smuggling, raising the chances of the local party being re-elected. These results offer new insights into how criminal groups attempt to capture local governments and the implications for democracy under criminal governance

Criminology · Democracy · Development economics · Economics · Electoral geography · Electoral politics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Law · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence