The Mobilization of Public Support for an Authoritarian Regime: The Case of the Lower Class in Mexico City

Abstract

This study examines how authoritarian regimes generate public support among politically demobilized groups that lack effective bargaining power within central decisionmaking processes. It is suggested that authoritarian regimes may be wellequipped to build support because of their virtual monopoly over communications networks and political socialization processes. These conditions make it possible for the regime's symbolic reassurances about its goals and intentions to remain unchallenged. The regime can, thereby, build support among demobilized groups that are discriminated against in the distribution of goods and services. Data are presented to show that trust in the regime's symbolic reassurances can better explain regime support among lower-class Mexicans in the capital city than can alternative explanations.