The conditional gravity of power: distance, electoral coordination and democratic governance in Mexico

This study examines the conditions under which voters’ distance from their national capital shapes their levels of electoral coordination. It relies on district-level data from Mexico’s first eight democratic elections and a set of generalised least squares and instrumental variable models. These show that the effect of distance is not constant but conditional on the structure of national political competition. Specifically, stronger when a nationally dominant party radiates outward from the capital and weaker when national competition fragments along regional lines. This study highlights the enduring spatial dynamics of political behaviour and democratic governance, even under modern, twenty-first century conditions.