'Networked Justice: Judges, the Diffusion of Ideas, and Legal Reform Movements in Mexico'

Abstract

two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments. I am also grateful for ongoing collaborations with Lisa Hilbink, whose influence-in good network fashion-shaped many of the ideas presented here, and to James Fowler, for opening his research group during a fellowship at UC San Diego in [2009][2010]. Lastly, I thank the judges of Michoacán: without their participation none of this would be possible. The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Chancellor's Office and the Joseph P. Healey Endowment provided support for data collection. The Kellogg Institute provided writing support. ABSTRACTExisting research shows that the ideas of judges matter for judicial behavior both on the bench (decision making) and off the bench (lobbying and mobilization for institutional change). Yet there is little empirical evidence regarding the content and distribution of these ideas and even less evidence and fewer theoretical propositions regarding the manner in which ideas transfer or diffuse among judges. Addressing these empirical and theoretical gaps, I survey judges in the Mexican state of Michoacán and apply techniques of network analysis. The project makes four main contributions: (1) original data on the attitudes of judges regarding prominent institutional and jurisprudential changes shaping the legal landscape in Mexico; (2) egocentric data on network structure for the sampled judges; (3) sociocentric data on network structure at the level of judicial district, state supreme court, and entire state generated by aggregating the egocentric data; and (4) a mixed-methods analysis of the causal relationship between network features and judicial attitudes, drawing on egocentric methods, sociocentric methods, and personal interviews with focal individuals. Complementing literatures on political socialization, policy diffusion, and complex systems, the analysis clarifies our understanding of the role of judicial networks in strengthening democracy and the rule of law. RESUMENInvestigaciones existentes demuestran que las ideas de los jueces motivan el comportamiento judicial dentro de los juzgados (en la toma de decisiones) y fuera de estos (en el cabildeo institucional y las movilizaciones en torno a distintas reformas). Sin embargo, existe poca evidencia empírica en cuanto al contenido y la distribución de estas ideas, y aun menos evidencia y teorías sobre el modo en que las ideas se transfieren o difunden entre los jueces. Para dar cuenta de estas limitaciones empíricas y teóricas en la literatura, este trabajo desarrolla una encuesta a jueces en la entidad federativa mexicana de Michoacán, aplicando técnicas de análisis de redes. El proyecto hace cuatro contribuciones principales: (1) datos originales sobre las actitudes de jueces en cuanto a cambios importantes en las instituciones y la jurisprudencia que moldean el paisaje jurídico mexicano; (2) datos ego-céntricos sobre la estructura de redes entre los jueces encuestados; (3) datos socio-céntricos sobre la estructura de redes judiciales a nivel de distrito judicial, tribunal super...

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