Current Institutional Affiliation
Professor, Sociology, University of Maryland

Award Information

International Dissertation Research Fellowship 1997
Institutional Affiliation (at time of award):
Sociology, University of Chicago
The Social and Economic Causes of Crime in Mexico in the 1990s and its Consequences

The objective of this project is to formally analyze the role of social networks in the process of mobilization during the Mexican Revolution and in the consolidation of the post-revolutionary Mexican state. The premise of the study is that formal network analysis techniques can help resolve long-standing debates about the Mexican Revolution and propose new theories regarding: a) the mechanisms of recruitment into the revolutionary armies and the relation between elite opposition and grassroots rebellion; b) the dissemination of oppositional ideas and the spread of revolutionary activity; and c) the structural weakness of the Porfirian state which made the Revolution possible. Accordingly, three lines of inquiry will be pursued. First, I will analyze the role of social ties in recruitment to the revolutionary armies. How does an individual's position within the network of social ties (kinship, business, political, etc.) affect his or her likelihood of siding with the armed opposition? Secondly, I will use a contagion model to analyze the spread of revolution. And thirdly, I will examine the evolution of the personalized network structure of the Porfirian state.

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