Now Accepting Intern Applications for Summer 2015

The Mexico Institute seeks summer interns for Summer 2015. There are three different intern positions: Outreach & Communications, Graduate Economics, and Virtual Graphic Design. Please review full guidelines and application instructions. Applications should be received no later than March 15, 2015.

Click here to find out more and/or apply.

Central Bank Cuts Mexican Growth Forecasts

02/18/15 Wall Street Journal 

The Bank of Mexico on Wednesday lowered its forecast for economic growth for the nation this year, citing weaker expected global growth and risks of increased international market volatility and further declines in oil prices. In its quarterly inflation report, the central bank said it expects gross domestic product to grow between 2.5% and 3.5% this year, less than its previous estimate of 3%-4%. For 2016, the bank lowered its forecast growth range to 2.9%-3.9% from 3.2%-4.2%. The central bank said GDP likely expanded 2.1% in 2014, which is in line with the consensus of private economists. The National Statistics Institute is scheduled to report fourth-quarter GDP on Friday.

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Forced disappearances are widespread: UN offers 8 recommendations to Mexico. (In Spanish)

By Animal Politico 2/13/15

The Associated Press October 22, 2014

El caso de los 43 estudiantes de la Escuela Normal Rural de Ayotzinapa es una muestra de cómo en México se vive en un contexto de“desapariciones generalizadas” en las que muchas veces participan agentes del Estado cometiendo el delito de desaparición forzada, concluyó este viernes el Comité contra la Desaparición Forzada de las Naciones Unidas en su informe final sobre México.

El Comité insistió en que lo ocurrido el 26 de septiembre pasado en Iguala, Guerrero -cuando policías municipales atacaron a estudiantes normalistas tras la orden del alcalde, José Luis Abarca- no sólo es un caso de desaparición forzada si no que “ilustra los serios desafíos que enfrenta el Estado parte en materia de prevención, investigación y sanción de las desapariciones forzadas y la búsqueda de personas desaparecidas”.

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Former Mexican Governor Considers Suing The NY Times Over Article on Lavish Properties in U.S.

2/12/2015 Forbes

In response to The New York Times front-page exposé  on lavish real estate purchased through shell companies by the family of José Murat Casab, a controversial former state governor believed to have once faked an attempt on his life, Murat said he sent a letter to The New York Times‘ public editor, alleging that he doesn’t own any of the properties the paper says he owns.

In the letter, made available to the Mexican press on Wednesday, Murat, a former governor of the southwestern state of Oaxaca, México’s fourth poorest, said the information is “false and compromises my reputation and that of my family.”

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NOW ACCEPTING SUMMER 2015 INTERN APPLICATIONS

The Mexico Institute seeks summer 2015 interns for the following positions:

-Outreach and Communications Intern
-Graduate Economics Intern
-Virtual Graphic Design Intern

Applications should be received no later than March 15, 2015.

To find out more information and/or to apply, click here.

Falling Oil Prices: Changing Implications for Global Producers

02/04/2015 Woodrow Wilson Center

As the price of oil continues to fall, the Wilson Center’s Africa Program, Canada Institute, Kennan Institute, Latin American Program, Middle East Program, Mexico Institute and its Regional and Global Energy Series convened an expert global panel, assembled from Russia, Colombia, Canada, Iran, and Nigeria, to discuss the economic and political repercussions of depressed energy prices, as well as the effects of the lower prices on competitiveness and investment.

Mexican President’s Office Denies He Gave Developer Favors

1/22/15 Bloomberg 

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s office and a construction company whose owner sold him a house in a resort town when he was a state governor in 2005 denied that the relationship resulted in special favors for the firm. Pena Nieto acquired the house in Ixtapan de la Sal legally and had reported it as part of his asset disclosure statement, according to a press release Wednesday. Pena Nieto isn’t involved in the awarding of public contracts, the president’s office said. Pena Nieto, 48, bought the weekend home in an exclusive golf club from Roberto San Roman weeks after taking office as governor of the State of Mexico, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing documents. A presidential spokesman told the paper it was bought at market prices for $372,000. A construction firm started by San Roman has since won $150 million of business from the state and federal government, including at least six no-bid contracts, the newspaper said.

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