### Proposal to Eliminate Coneval Threatens Fight Against Poverty, Experts Warn
The proposed reform to dismantle the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval) has raised alarms about undermining the state’s ability to combat poverty and promote social rights. The Council, led by its Executive Secretary José Nabor Cruz Marcelo, issued a statement expressing concerns and urging dialogue with the Congress.
Recently, a majority of federal deputies from Morena and allied parties approved a bill that seeks to eliminate seven autonomous bodies, including Coneval. According to the Council, separating the functions of the body responsible for gathering data on household income, spending, and social rights (INEGI) from the one that designs and updates poverty measurement methodologies (Coneval) is essential for credibility and reliability in poverty assessment.
“INEGI, a constitutionally autonomous body, collects high-quality statistical data but does not have the capabilities or governance model to perform Coneval’s specialized functions,” the statement read. “Merging these institutions would dismantle a 20-year evaluation and monitoring model recognized both nationally and internationally.”
The proposed administrative reform aims for austerity, eliminating duplicate functions, and re-integrating responsibilities within the federal public administration. However, Coneval argues it does not fall under any of the conditions outlined in the approved bill. The Council stressed that it is not a constitutionally autonomous body but a decentralized entity with technical and management autonomy, working closely with the federal public administration.
Ironically, the reform could counter its own goals by increasing fragmentation within public administration, as it seeks to transfer Coneval’s specialized functions to an autonomous constitutional body like INEGI. Since 2019, Coneval has adhered to the principles of the Federal Repulican Austerity Law, making it possibly the most cost-effective public organization in Mexico. With a budget of 90 pesos per million pesos of social expenditure, Coneval’s evaluations, reports, and analyses directly contribute to efficient and effective social spending.
Coneval operates with a unique governance model, comprising a collegial body of academics and an executive secretary, ensuring technical independence and methodological rigor in evaluating social programs and measuring poverty in Mexico. The proposed reform jeopardizes the state’s ability to support the fight against poverty and promote social rights, offering no governance model to ensure the continuity of Coneval’s specialized functions distinguished from those of INEGI.
The Council develops methodologies, conceptual frameworks, and processes vital for multidimensional poverty measurement and specific social rights indicators, incorporated into exclusive specialized indicator systems. It also formulates guidelines for technical and practically relevant external evaluations, closely cooperating with the federal administration. Moreover, Coneval monitors social programs and collaborates with federal entities and municipalities to strengthen a national Monitoring and Evaluation System through promoting evaluation culture in public administration.
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### Secondary Article: Experts Warn Against the Disappearance of Autonomous Bodies
The Mexican Employers’ Confederation (Coparmex) has voiced concerns over the potential dissolution of autonomous bodies, labeling it a threat to democracy. The move is seen as a significant step back from previously established governance practices that ensured transparency and accountability.
José Medina Mora Icaza, National President of Coparmex, emphasized that autonomous bodies play a critical role in guaranteeing checks and balances within governmental functions. Eliminating entities like Coneval, the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Data Protection (INAI), and the Federal Telecommunications Institute (IFT) could hinder progress and weaken institutional integrity.
INAI itself has declared the reform as regressive, citing that the elimination of these bodies undermines democratic processes and could lead to less accountability and transparency in how public resources are managed. This concern is shared by various civil society organizations advocating for the maintenance and strengthening of these autonomous bodies to ensure continued independent scrutiny of government actions and policies.
In related news, Baja California’s economy showed stagnation in the first quarter of 2024. Analysts attribute this to reduced public investment and economic uncertainty stemming from political decisions affecting autonomous institutions. Local businesses and public policy advocates argue that weakening autonomous bodies could further deteriorate investor confidence and economic stability.
For more updates and expert analyses, visit TJGringo.com.