Recruiting Technical Elites: Mexico's Veterinarians

Abstract

Technical-professional experts in Mexico are recruited and trained principally in the National University of Mexico (UNAM), where they acquire academic preparation for graduate work, organizational and leadership skills, as well as all-important loyalty networks. Survey data from the School of Veterinary Medicine in the UNAM show the recent growth of the profession and its role in the state. Four biographies illustrate the recruitment and training process. Education and leadership are necessary qualifications for recruitment into the professional elite, but not without a position in a patron-client network.