Mexicanos Al Grito De Guerra: What is Causing the Drug War in México?

Abstract

The origins of drug violence in Mexico do not have a beginning or an end. Today various cartels and drug dealers fight over territory and the monopoly over illegal businesses. In addition, several factors including the historical corruption of PRI, corruption of law enforcers, and high levels of male unemployment lead to high rates of organized crime killings in the country. This analysis examines the relationship between these variables and drug violence at a local level. Although PAN and President Felipe Calderon dominate at national level, municipalities that politically identify with PRI experience the effects of the drug war more aggressively than municipalities that identify with other political parties. Also, municipalities with higher rates of unemployed males experience more instances of drug violence. This relationship is partially due to the employment of males by drug traffickers. Finally, an ambiguous relationship exists between the rate of employed law officers and narcotrafficking killings. This may be due to the corruption of police officers and their collaboration with narcotraffickers.