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Selected works
A selection of my written works, by year:
Why Mexico is not on the brink
Reasons behind the landslide victory of president Sheinbaum and factors that may prevent democratic erosion.
The Real Reasons for AMLO’s Popularity
Beyond the populist narrative, Morena delivered real benefits to its base.
How Sheinbaum will be different from AMLO
Mexico’s next president may prove less popular but more competent.
The meaning of Mexico's first female president
A gender-parity legal framework empowered women in Mexican politics.
AMLO's presidency legacy
An assesment of the legacy of Mexico's outgoing president.
Mexico's housing crisis precedes digital nomads
The Mexican capital's housing crisis has given rise to a wave of xenophobia that absolves the real culprits.
How did Mexico reduce economic inequality?
Income inequality has diminished in Mexico from 2018 to 2022 due to higher labor income.
Mexico's bottom-up democratic transition
A class-based analysis of Mexico's democratic transition exposes its flaws.
Who was convinced by Xóchitl Gálvez?
The PAN, Mexico's conservative party, has become a party of the urban elites.
The last PRI voters
Support for the PRI, Mexico's old ruling party, only stands in poor rural strongholds.
Who are the new Morena voters?
Support for Morena, Mexico's incumbent party, comes from its labor policies, not its social programs.
Mexico's political dynasties
A surname analysis of Mexican legislators reveals the evolution of political dynasties from 1940 to 2024.
What is the middle class in Mexico?
There are three main ways of measuring who is middle class in Mexico.
The Real Reasons for AMLO’s Popularity
AMLO is much more than the “charming demagogue” often portrayed in the foreign media.
De un lado | del otro
En algunas ciudades mexicanas, la desigualdad es tan extrema que cruzar una calle es como ir de Europa a África.
Evolución de la élite empresarial mexicana
La élite empresarial mexicana no ha cambiado en más de medio siglo.
México seco
México enfrenta un problema de falta de agua porque se las reglas de distribución benefician a los poderosos.
Nuevos sindicatos
La reforma laboral reveló que 86% de los sindicatos eran de protección.
La reforma más ambiciosa de López Obrador
El gobierno intenta aprobar una reforma para facilitar la construcción de obra pública. El sector privado se opone.
La inflación como lucha de clases
En México, el 68% de la inflación se explica porque las empresas se aferran a mantener altas ganancias.
Una radiografía de las casillas zapato
El PRI-PAN parece tener mayor capacidad de movilización de votos que Morena.
¿Cómo se logró reducir la pobreza en México?
Cinco millones salieron de la pobreza de 2018 a 2022, principalmente debido a más ingresos laborales.
La escuela privada es un timo
Las escuelas privadas mexicanas tienen peores resultados que las de otros países Latinoamericanos.
En México ya nadie puede comprar casa
No existe una política de vivienda para atender las necesidades de toda una generación de jóvenes.
The mining fund
Why Mexico’s Mining Tax Fails to Reach Intended Beneficiary Communities.
A better way to understand the US-Mexico relationship
Mexico and the U.S. have deeply integrated economies. Their problems cannot be solved through confrontation.
Misunderstandings about Mexico’s informality
Many informal workers pay taxes and are not responsible for their status. The wealthy control tax evasion.
No, you are not wealthy
Many middle-class Mexicans identify as wealthy and, as a result, support policies that affect them.
Abuses of Mexico’s notaries
The notary is an unnecessary and corrupt institution that must be reformed.
Mexico City’s non-merit scholarships
Mexico City helps children in public schools regardless of their grades, which is fantastic.
Drug cartels aren’t behind remittances
Data does not support the concern that the increase in remittances is due to money laundering by drug cartels.
Tax collection during AMLO’s presidency
AMLO has increased tax collection by only 1.2% of GDP, a quarter of what the previous administration accomplished.
Mexico’s poor are paying more taxes
Poor households have doubled their contribution to national income tax collection.
Governors’ unpayable debts
Mexican governors have acquired large amounts of public debt on unusually favorable terms for the banks.
Mexico’s upper classes are angry
Mexican upper classes are more pro-authoritarianism since a left-wing government took power.
Barrilito soda’s lawfare
A Mexican soda company is using legal tactics to thwart health-care regulations.
Year 2021
Culture of privilege
Fiscal, labor, and antitrust regulation benefit Mexico’s wealthiest.
A banker’s cartel in Mexico
Eight banks manipulated government bonds, exposing the shortcomings of Mexico’s antitrust commission.
Mexico’s post-neoliberalism
Some neoliberal policies have been abandoned in Mexico, but its biggest vices remain.
Mexican Women Are Fed Up
Mexico’s president has demonstrated insensitivity to the feminist cause and to women’s most basic demands.
Arts public funding during AMLO’s presidency
Mexico’s left government spends less on the arts than the previous right-wing administration.
Mexico’s legalized abuses
Mexico’s greatest injustices are codified in its laws.
Did voters punish AMLO in Mexico’s 2021 election?
Excluding Mexico City, the midterm elections revealed that the incumbent party fared better than expected.
How workers ousted the CTM union
Through the USMCA, the U.S. helped Mexican GM workers eliminate their corrupt union.
Resentfulness does not explain AMLO’s support
Mexican voters are motivated by the hope that things will improve, not by a dislike for the elites.
Mexican employers are out of touch
Employers are using classist arguments to try to persuade their employees to vote against left parties.
Mexico abandons its millennials
Mexican millennials will pay more taxes than any other generation while receiving fewer government benefits.
Mexico is a tax haven for the wealthy
Mexican taxation is deeply unfair to the middle class.
Year 2020
Corruption and inequality in Mexico
Corruption is more common in areas of public spending that benefit the poorest people in Mexico.
Coronavirus has mexico’s workers pinned down
The pandemic has been used to double down on dangerous political rhetoric.
No, you aren’t the middle class
Millions of poor Mexicans identify as middle-class and support policies that benefit the wealthy.
Overcrowding and COVID-19 mortality in Mexico
In Mexico, poverty is associated with higher COVID-19 mortality rates.
How soda companies deceive the Mexican public
The processed food industry has caused an obesity and diabetes epidemic in Mexico.
The non-existent Mexican state
The federal government has no resources, savings, or direct contact with most of the population.
What Mexican businessmen conceal
The top 1% of Mexican firms keep 33% of business income, and 28 firms capture 70% of profits.
In defense of increasing Mexico’s minimum wage
Minimum wage increases benefit SMEs because they increase demand without significantly increasing costs.
Mexico’s tropical elite
Mexico’s parasitic elite survived the democratic transition and thrives because of extreme inequality.
Mexico’s monopolies take from the poor
An effective antitrust policy could reduce poverty by 1.5 percentage points by eliminating overpricing.
Austerity harms Mexico’s poorest
Mexico’s president wrongly believes his austerity measures reduce inequality.
The delusional Mexican elite
Mexican SMEs often align politically with large corporations, missing out on public policy opportunities.
Others
En inglés:
En español:
Radio y Televisón
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Tercer Grado, NMás (weekly)
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Política y Otros Datos, Expansión Política (weekly podcast)
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La Silla Roja, El Financiero TV, 2020.
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La Hora de Opinar, NMás, 2018-2019 (weekly).
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La Entrevista con Sergio Sarmiento, ADN Opinión, 2015, 2017.
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Ruiz-Healy Radio, 103.3 FM Mexico's National Radio, 2014-2016 (weekly).
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Bloomberg TV, Mexico's National TV, 2014-2015 (weekly).
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