“Transparency and the Struggle for Accountability
in Mexico”
International Forum for Democratic Studies,
Washington D.C. May 9, 2013
A range of
reform measures, including freedom of information and anti-corruption
legislation enacted over the past two decades has strengthened the framework
for oversight in Mexico, but implementation and enforcement of these reforms
remains problematic. Mexico is today one of the most corrupt countries in the
world. Meanwhile, as functions typically in the realm of the public sector are
increasingly outsourced to private corporations, some of the nascent gains
achieved in public accountability are being undermined. In addition, the
implementation of neoliberal economic policies has lead to an increase in the
capture of the state by powerful economic interests which corrode institutional
strength. In her presentation, Dr. Irma
Sandoval-Ballesteros focused on the Mexican case to examine how this new
context of “structural pluralism” is affecting policy. She called for a new
structural approach to fighting corruption, which could put Mexico on the path
toward realizing its full economic potential and reconstructing its failing
democracy.
Dr.
Sandoval-Ballesteros situated accountability reform in Mexico within the broader
context of state-society relations, debunking conventional approaches that frame
corruption as principally a cultural issue. She criticized the current
presidential administration for not granting full autonomy to its
anti-corruption bodies and urged it to engage citizens in accountability reform
efforts; and ensure private corporations are legally subject to FOIA
legislation.
Discussant Eric Hershberg, director of the
Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at American University, highlighted
how Mexico can harness its economic potential by consolidating democratic institutions
and committing to accountability reforms. He echoed Dr. Sandoval-Ballesteros’s main
idea that corruption is rooted in institutional design rather than culture, and
argued that although Mexico has enacted a range of reform measures, the
capacity to implement and monitor existing frameworks is lacking. Both speakers
agreed that the public-private interface and resulting “outsourced opacity”
create a set of governance challenges that require new approaches to effectively
minimize corruption.
In response to questions, Dr. Sandoval-Ballesteros emphasized that establishing
functioning courts to hold actors accountable for their actions is key to strengthening
transparency and deepening democracy in Mexico. The problem with the expansion
of privatization throughout the region during the past two decades is that it
has not been accompanied by accountability reform
measures that ensure economic competition is fair and transparent.
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