Do the social problems that we commonly experience in our daily lives really affect a country’s democracy, policies, and overall political system? The answer is yes. In now days in our society, issues that we might easily overlook such as labor issues, housing, gender equality, feminism, drug use, and public safety all contribute to either the development or the erosion of democracy. In particular, in the case of Mexico, the nations that I focus on. The important question is what relationship exists between crime rates and its political system? From this point, I would like to make a question: Does crime contribute to the erosion of democracy?

Mexico has been experiencing a highly dangerous security situation for a long time. The widespread possession of firearms and drugs, homicide etc., along with extremely high crime rates, places the country among the most dangerous in the world. Data provided by the UNODC shows that crime levels in Mexico are significantly higher than in most other countries. Due to drugs, cartels, and gangs, Mexico faces a deeply unstable social environment. At a fundamental level, some might ask whether these criminal factors actually affect the country’s political system. I want to argue what they do. In particular, most of society tend to behave that social phenomenon and mass psychology that play a crucial role in shaping the quality of democracy. To put it simply, we can consider about the following. Let’s imagine, for example, a dominant and powerful group is formed within a high school classroom and begins to control the overall atmosphere of that class, most of the students who are part of that class tend to follow the will of that group. This kind of behavior can generally be explained by the psychological concept known as ‘authority bias’. In the same way, in Mexico, powerful gangs and cartels possess a very large amount of influence, and ordinary citizens tend to adjust their behavior in order to avoid possible retaliation from those groups. This situation effectively deprives them of their own free will, and it clearly contradicts the fundamental ideals of liberal democracy.

Using data from the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index and Victims of intentional homicide (UNODC) measuring levels of public security a comparison shows that the recorded 32,252 cases in one dataset(V-dem), while its liberal democracy score is 0.25. In contrast, Japan as a comparison case due to its similar population size and status as an OECD member state located in East Asia has a liberal democracy score of approximately 0.80 according to V-dem and 285 cases of victims of intentional homicide (UNODC data). Mexico has a homicide rate more than 113 times higher than Japan, while its level of liberal democracy is about 3 times lower.

Additionally, V-Dem data on electoral violence shows that Mexico has an electoral peace rate of 0.68, compared to Japan’s 0.98. According to voter intimidation, Mexico scores 0.30, while Japan scores 0.02. Japan is chosen for comparison because both countries have similar population sizes within Mexico and both of countries are the members of the OECD and the United Nations. Also, both countries have organized crime groups (cartels in Mexico and the yakuza in Japan=both concept have a big impact in their society), which makes them a reasonable comparison. However, while Mexico gets high levels of crime alongside a weakening of democratic indicators, Japan shows very low crime rates along with a highly robust liberal democracy.

Therefore, Mexico is one of the countries where electoral violence is highly prevalent. And then, it raises an important question, “Are there actual real-world cases in Mexico that clearly demonstrate this relationship?” In fact, there are several significant examples. In 2016, the assassination of Gisela Mota showed a clear case of direct political retaliation carried out by criminal organizations. She was killed only one day after she had publicly declared a strong and firm stance against cartels and organized crime. More recently, in 2024, electoral violence has become a serious and widespread issue across the country. According to Associated Press (2024, May). Mexico’s cartel violence surges ahead of elections, terrorizing communities. AP News, armed people took out politically caused acts of violence in various towns and local regions throughout Mexico. The report also indicates that such acts of violence become especially widespread during the period leading up to elections. This case clearly shows how closely criminal organizations are connected to the political system. As one expert stated, “Elections are a high-stakes game for criminal groups,” he said. “You see upticks in violence as these groups are trying to position themselves to have a more stable negotiating position in the lead up to elections.” (Associated Press. 2024, May). Mexico’s cartel violence surges ahead of elections, terrorizing communities. AP News). This press shows directly the voter intimidation recorded in the V-Dem data at 0.30 in Mexico has also been reported. This statement draws their cartels directly affect in their political process. Often creating local conflicts and even pressing voters in order to serve their own interests. Under these conditions, fear spreads rapidly among the population, as many citizens are too afraid to report crimes due to the possibility of retaliation.

Furthermore, this kind of situation highlights how deeply Mexico’s criminal organizations and Cartels have been embedding within Mexico’s political system, as well as how much influence they are able to exercise over society. Electoral violence is one of the major factors that contributes to the weakening of democracy. In Mexico, civil liberties, which are one of the most essential components of democratic theory, have been severely undermined. The constant fear of cartels takes away the free will of citizens, and as a result, the state as a whole becomes unable to function properly under the pressure of organized crime. This situation provides a strong and convincing explanation for Mexico’s low V-Dem score.

Mexico needs to address the system of authority that is established by powerful criminal organizations; Cartels. The government should move on no longer ignore the significant influence that these groups have over society. Both the V-Dem index and the UNODC data show us that this is not only a temporary issue, but also a persistent and ongoing problem in their society. Many politicians who attempt to propose policies aimed at reducing crime and improving public security often face serious threats and intimidation. Because of this, even when there is public support for change, meaningful progress has remained very limited. If the government continues to neglect this situation and fails to take strong action, the fear experienced by the public will continue to increase, and the loss of citizens’ freedom will become even more severe

Photo named Mexican flag waving under cloudy sky (Unsplash), Creative Commons Zero license