The sources of criminal power in Mexico

• In Event: 40420 - Section on Political Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 8: Power and Politics

Abstract

In many developing countries, organized crime groups have emerged as local powerholders that organize social relations in conjunction with the state. Yet there is wide variation in terms of how much control these armed actors exert over territories and civilian populations. Drawing on a comparison of two subnational Mexican states, this study asks under what conditions criminal power emerges and in what forms. I argue that organized crime permeates social life as illicit drug markets become embedded in local and regional economies, social relations, and political systems. This is the case of Sinaloa where criminal power is diffuse and normalized, although it is occasionally disrupted by internal power plays within criminal networks. In turn, more direct forms of criminal authority develop when these networks are subjected to state repression and external competition. In the case of Michoacán, criminal actors became de facto rulers by capturing municipal governments, taxing key economic sectors, and repressing local communities.

Author

• Joel Herrera, University of Notre Dame