Mandates, Geography, and Networks : Diffusion of Criminal Procedure Reform in Mexico

Why have some Mexican states proceeded faster than others in a revolutionary transformation in criminal procedure? Contributing an original reform index of criminal procedure reform across Mexico’s 32 states from 2002-2011 and building on existing research on policy diffusion, this paper offers answers to these questions. Core findings include: (1) the 2008 constitutional reform at the federal level exerts a strong, positive effect (federal mandate); (2) being in a neighborhood of states that have reformed has a counterintuitive, negative effect (spatial proximity); and (3) having a governor of the same party as that of governors of other states that have reformed has a positive influence (network affinity). These findings yield a better understanding of the (a) vertical, cross-level and (b) horizontal, cross-unit diffusion of reform, with implications for understanding how to overcome challenges to criminal justice reform in Mexico, Latin America, and elsewhere