Las preferencias institucionales de los legisladores: evidencia sobre el caso mexicano.

This paper examines the variables associated to the institutional preferences of political representatives using evidence from Mexico. The analysis is based upon elite surveys conducted on Mexican deputies elected to the 2003-2006 and 2006-2009 periods of Congress. It also relies on the political process that took place during the discussion of a reform initiative in 2011. The results show that the political preferences of lawmakers are influenced by such factors as the size of their party in the assembly, the executive-legislative relationships, and electoral expectations of parties. This paper underscores that strategic preferences and behavior may run in the opposite direction of the strengthening of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]