Abstract

HIV/AIDS and Democratization in Mexico deepens our understanding of globalization and its effects on the public policymaking process, especially so for the case of HIV/AIDS and health-related policies. It reveals major changes in this policy area and points to a series of democratic openings. The author contends that the emergence of national and international HIV/AIDS policy networks has functioned as a catalyst for the success of pre-existing domestic social groups, in their efforts to advance their legitimate concerns and to assert their rights. In turn, there has been an increasing participation of a broader set of actors in the policymaking process, allowing traditionally marginalized groups, such as sexual minorities, to positively influence policy outcomes. The implications of this analysis go beyond the Mexican case, due to its focus on internationalized policy environments and the transnational organization and collaboration of civil society groups for the protection of human rights for all.