What mechanism best describes how social movements affect policy in Mexico?

• A. Through reducing government transparency.
• B. Through ceremonial roles without policy impact.
• C. Through mobilization and public pressure to influence policy.
• D. By granting legal immunity to lawmakers.

Answer: (C)

Social movements influence policy by mobilizing people and applying public pressure that pushes issues onto the political agenda and into policy decisions. In Mexico, organized groups, activists, and communities rally support, stage protests, run campaigns, and leverage media attention to highlight grievances and demand change. Policymakers respond when they sense strong public demand, electoral risk, or legitimacy concerns, leading to negotiation, reforms, or policy adjustments. This is the mechanism by which movements translate social energy into actual policy outcomes.

The other options don’t fit as well: reducing government transparency would undermine accountability and isn’t how movements effect change; ceremonial roles imply no real policy impact; granting legal immunity to lawmakers is a legal feature, not a tool through which movements drive policy.