David A. Shirk, a former visiting research fellow of the Center of U.S.-Mexican Studies, received his doctoral degree in political science from the University of California-San Diego (June 2000). His dissertation, “Democratization and Party-Building: The Growing Pains of Mexico’s National Action Party (PAN),” was based on field research and interviews with top party leaders, including Vicente Fox.
October 2000, Volume 11, Issue 4
Although Fox’s National Action Party (PAN) is frequently portrayed as a reactionary party, it is better understood as a liberal-democratic alternative to the former ruling party’s authoritarianism.
