Theories of Democratic Consolidation: A Mexico-Germany Comparison
This article has considered the first limb in the comparative framework
and assessed the extent to which the political elite have sought to enhance democratic practice from a top-down perspective. It now shifts its
focus to consider education, communication and participation, trust in
government and institutions, economic development, and finally ‘public
homogeneity’, under the heading of ‘public commitment’.
Public Commitment
While West Germany expressed a high degree of political commitment,
public commitment was considerably weaker. One reason, arguably, was
the relatively low rate of education: in 1950 West Germany had only
0.042 second level education institutions per thousand inhabitants, while
France and the United Kingdom had levels of 0.060 and 0.13 respectively
(UNESCO 1966: 22, 171, 174).3 Mexico has also had a poor educational
record. In 2007 national literacy rates were still below 93% (UNESCO
2007). The importance of education in consolidation was reaffirmed by
a study which asked Mexicans if they believed that they could change
their economic and political conditions by voting. 75% of those with
university education responded positively, while 58% with only primary
education responded negatively (Camp 2007: 86).
Concerning communication and the diffusion of ideas and information,
in 1952, West Germany had a circulation of 242 newspapers per thousand inhabitants, below many other European countries with up to 500
newspapers per thousand inhabitants (UNESCO 1966: 33). In Mexico,
98% of the popula F