The role of subnational identities in shaping mass attitudes towards economic globalization and neoliberal reforms: The case of the state of Yucatan

This dissertation examines how citizen attitudes towards economic globalization and neoliberal reforms, along with electoral preferences, have been shaped by a conservative political culture in the relatively impoverished state of Yucatan. Specifically, the basic hypothesis is that a historically shaped regional identity constructed around four cultural components (regionalism, ethnocentrism, conservatism, and a pro-United States internationalism) has predisposed Yucatecans to support the neoliberal reforms implemented in Mexico since the mid-eighties. This regional identity that survived the integrating forces of Mexican nationalism and that often led to clashes with the central government may also help to explain the historical strength of the right-wing Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) in this region. By introducing a cultural explanation to the literature on mass attitudes towards neoliberalism in Mexico, this dissertation deviates from more common economic/utilitarian explanations that emphasize the relative benefits and costs of economic liberalization to various actors. Hypotheses were tested using original data from a survey conducted in Yucatan in 2005 and secondary data from two national surveys that were conducted around the same time. Focus group interviews were also used.;Yucatecan respondents were likely to identify more with the region than with the national community, to exhibit a relatively high degree of regional ethnocentrism, and to be favorably disposed toward the United States. Levels of regional identification and sympathy toward the United States were generally found to be higher in the Yucatan than elsewhere in Mexico (northern Mexico being a limited exception). In general, regional identification and ethnocentrism tended to be relatively high among all demographic groups but more concentrated among the older, the less-educated, and ethnically Mayan respondents.;Yucatecans were nearly as supportive of the North American Free Trade Agreement and of privatization, components of the neoliberal package, as those living in the more developed northern states. Cultural orientations embedded in the Yucatecan identity are shown to be stronger predictors of attitudes toward NAFTA and, to a lesser extent, of attitudes toward privatization than are economic variables related to income level and economic situation. These same cultural orientations are also indirectly linked to sympathy for PAN.;KEYWORDS: Yucatecan Identity, Neoliberal Reforms, Mexican Nationalism, Opposition Voting, Cultural-Based Explanation.