Education and Political Recruitment in Mexico

Abstract

Education is one of the variables most frequently used by students of bureaucracy to determine background characteristics of political elites (Cochrane, 1967; Gruber, 1971; Hopkins, 1967; de Imaz, 1970; Verner, 1973). Especially in Latin American research, scholars often examine educational levels of men who serve in high public office. Although such studies usually look at the type of education, the number of years of study, and the location of the institution, very few, if any, authors have examined the determining influence on the careers of future political elites of student contact as well as student to faculty relationships at the preparatory school or university. The omission is significant because it is the contention of this paper that at least since the 1946 presidential administration in Mexico, contact which took place during the school days of future political leaders was an important form of recruitment.