The Classical Mechanics of Public Policy: The Administration of Arms Trafficking Between Mexico and the U.S. and the Management of Enforced Disappearances

Abstract

This article presents an analytical model of public policy from a biopolitical perspective. It demonstrates how public policies, represented as a circular cycle composed of different phases, are primarily used to manage social problems rather than solve them. To support this argument, metaphor is employed as a methodological tool, introducing the concept of centripetal force, borrowed from classical physics, to illustrate how public policies draw social problems into their cycle, keeping them within this perpetual management loop. Two case studies are presented: the administration of firearms in Mexico–United States relations and the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in Mexico.