Background on Coneval and its Role
The Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social (Coneval) is a Mexican autonomous public body responsible for establishing the poverty line and measuring poverty and social exclusion in Mexico. It plays a crucial role in evaluating the effectiveness of social development policies and programs.
Senate Approval of the Reform
The Mexican Senate approved a reform by 73 votes from Morena, PVEM, and PT parties, against 34 votes from PAN, PRI, and MC. The reform aims to modify the Ley General de Desarrollo Social, Ley Federal de Presupuesto y Responsabilidad Hacendaria, and the Ley General de Contabilidad Gubernamental to streamline organizational matters following Coneval’s extinction.
The modified functions of Coneval will be assumed by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (Inegi), which will now evaluate the Política de Desarrollo Social (PDS) to reduce inequalities and promote sustainable development.
Key Figures Involved
- Andrea Chávez (Morena): As the president of the Bienestar Commission, Chávez emphasized the importance of strengthening the Mexican state’s operational capacity to combat poverty through accurate measurement, analysis of causes, and evaluation of measures addressing poverty.
- Agustín Dorantes (PAN): Dorantes criticized the reform, claiming it is an act of opacity. He argued that the replacement of Coneval with Inegi is not due to austerity but rather an attempt to avoid rigorous poverty evaluation and measurement.
- Ángel García (PRI): García questioned the benefits of dissolving Coneval and transferring all its attributes to Inegi, stating that the move does not benefit the poor, vulnerable families, or women heading households who rely on well-structured social policies. Instead, he suggested that the primary beneficiaries are the governing party seeking to avoid accountability.
Reform Objectives and Concerns
The reform aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of poverty measurement processes and social development policy evaluation. It modifies the Ley General de Desarrollo Social to maintain poverty measurement references while expanding Inegi’s competence in evaluating the PDS.
However, concerns have been raised about potential opaqueness and the elimination of societal civil participation, indicators of management results, and services. Critics argue that the reform will dismantle specialized Coneval personnel, wasting years of technical experience.
Next Steps
After the legislative process, the reform has been sent to the federal executive for promulgation and implementation.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is Coneval? Coneval is an autonomous public body in Mexico responsible for establishing the poverty line, measuring poverty and social exclusion, and evaluating social development policies and programs.
- Why was Coneval dissolved? The Mexican Senate approved a reform to extinguish Coneval, transferring its functions to Inegi. The reform aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of poverty measurement processes and social development policy evaluation.
- What are the concerns surrounding this reform? Critics argue that the reform may lead to opaqueness, eliminate societal civil participation, and discard valuable technical experience from Coneval specialists.
- Who benefits from this reform? Opposition parties suggest that the governing party, not the poor or vulnerable populations, will primarily benefit from avoiding accountability in social policy evaluation.
