Who legislates in Mexico? Decentralization and legislative process

Abstract

The Mexican political system has undergone transformations that have deeply affected the legislative process. Not only has the executive branch stopped playing a key role in this process but political decentralization has forced legislators to cultivate a personal reputation in regard to the various actors able to lend continuity to their political careers. This raises the question of who legislates in Mexico. In order to explore this issue, this article analyzes the changes observed in the ways of making laws and the career followed by the authors of the initiatives passed in the Chamber of Deputies during the three periods of office that followed the party alternation of the year 2000.