Federalism and Foreign Affairs in Mexico: The International Negotiations of Mexican Sub-State Governments

Abstract

This article analyzes the international negotiations of sub-State governments (inssg) in Mexico. It addresses five questions: 1) What factors explain the increasing number ofinssgs? 2) What is the impact of federalism oninssg? 3) What are the levels ofinssgand how have they changed over the years? 4) How do Mexican sub-State governments (ssg) institutionalize their international negotiations? 5) What are the perceptions and capacities of thessgin their internationalization process? The study explains the growth ofinssgdue to democratization, arguing that renewed Mexican federalism has generated incentives forssgs to participate more intensively in international negotiations. It analyzes the wide variation in theinssgand explains how it has evolved over the last decade. It focuses on the analysis of Inter-Institutional Agreements (iia) and explains the perceptions and capacities of Mexicanssgto conduct international negotiations.