The Pillars of the International Relations of Local Governments in Mexico: The Case of Baja California

The key objective of this article is to identify the main factors that explain the growing interest of Mexican local governments in external affairs. The main argument is that recent changes in the international system, domestic democratic developments, the transformation of the economic development model in the 1980s, and new perceptions and personal preferences of governmental authorities are factors that explain the growing interest of subnational actors to participate in global activities. The article is divided into four parts. The first one defines the concept of paradiplomacy and foreign policy. The second part analyzes the pillars that explain the new international dynamism of local Mexican governments. The next section describes the legal framework that regulates the international activity of local governments. Finally, the last part examines the case of Baja California, a border Mexican state that recently has been very active in foreign affairs.