The Mexican Profit-Sharing Decision

The Mexican Profit-Sharing Decision: Politics in an Authoritarian Regime offers an incisive exploration of the mechanisms and implications of decision-making within the unique political structure of mid-20th-century Mexico. The book delves into President López Mateos’s decision to implement the profit-sharing provisions outlined in Mexico’s 1917 Constitution, a redistributive policy that aimed to allocate a portion of industrial profits to workers. This decision is not only significant in its immediate economic and social impacts but also in the light it sheds on Mexico’s broader authoritarian regime, where power flows from the executive rather than grassroots demands. Through this case study, the book examines the interaction between key interest groups—organized labor, private sector business leaders, and the ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI)—within the tightly controlled political framework.

Drawing on a combination of official documents, unpublished communications, and interviews with key stakeholders, the author offers a detailed reconstruction of the decision-making process. The study underscores the tension between inclusivity and control in Mexico’s authoritarian system, where the PRI simultaneously incorporated labor movements into its structure while maintaining executive dominance. This case provides broader insights into the symbolic and practical roles of political legitimacy, economic redistribution, and the strategies used to manage conflicts in an ostensibly non-repressive authoritarian regime. As a result, the book contributes not only to the understanding of Mexican politics but also to the study of authoritarian systems worldwide, offering valuable lessons on the dynamics of governance, economic reform, and the role of symbolic politics in sustaining regime stability.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1975.