Unity Through Particularism
Book • 2025
Lucia Motolinia examines Mexico’s 2014 constitutional change allowing legislative re-election to show how new electoral incentives interact with pre-existing party and legislative institutions.
Using a staggered rollout across states as a natural experiment and original data on legislative behavior, she shows re-election produced limited voter responsiveness—mainly through particularistic goods—while parties retained strong control over policy positions and nominations.
The book argues that parties can condition access to the resources needed for personal vote cultivation on loyalty, producing 'unity through particularism'.
It highlights that electoral reforms cannot be evaluated in isolation from candidate selection, legislative rules, and party organizations.
Using a staggered rollout across states as a natural experiment and original data on legislative behavior, she shows re-election produced limited voter responsiveness—mainly through particularistic goods—while parties retained strong control over policy positions and nominations.
The book argues that parties can condition access to the resources needed for personal vote cultivation on loyalty, producing 'unity through particularism'.
It highlights that electoral reforms cannot be evaluated in isolation from candidate selection, legislative rules, and party organizations.
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Miranda Melcher
Lucia Motolinia, "Unity through Particularism: How Electoral Reforms Influence Parties and Legislative Behavior" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
Mentioned by
Miranda Melcher
Lucia Motolinia, "Unity through Particularism: How Electoral Reforms Influence Parties and Legislative Behavior" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
