Encrucijada, an electronic journal of the Center for Studies in Public Administration

COVID-19 pandemic management: a comparative analysis (2020–2022)

Mario Ojeda Revah — 2025-12-10

The article comprehensively analyzes the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic in China at the end of 2019, its vertiginous spread to other regions of the world, the measures that different countries adopted to confront it, and to contain its expansion, and the economic, social, and political effects it triggered. Furthermore, the cultural changes and new social patterns that such a prolonged and unprecedented quarantine has caused in Humankind are explored. Finally, the essay reflects on possible scenarios after the pandemic and on how the collective exit from it could proceed.

The missing link” in the history of public administration in Mexico: pre-hispanic city-States.

José Juan Sánchez González — 2025-12-10

The history of Mexican public administration is incomplete because it has forgotten pre-Hispanic societies with their peculiar forms, techniques, personnel, and administrative models. This "missing link" must be incorporated into the study of public administration in Mexico; it can contribute knowledge to administrative activity prior to the Conquest and the Viceroyalty. Using the historical method with a documentary review, sources are identified to link pre-Hispanic societies as city-states as an object of study. First, a brief description is provided of the Preclassic to Postclassic periods in pre-Hispanic peoples in Mesoamerica, particularly the Maya and the Mexica. Second, it is argued that pre-Hispanic societies were city-states, not states in the modern sense. Third, some elements of public administration proposed by Gladden (1989) in pre-Hispanic peoples are described: 1) senior management and administration; 2) functions and organization; 3) personnel; 4) administrative techniques. and 5) administrative models. Finally, some ideas are highlighted that reflect the importance of administration in pre-Hispanic peoples in order to understand its importance in the Mexican administrative machinery.

The origins of the modern State and everyday practices. Analytical tools in the thought of Michel Foucault

Miguel Guerrero Olvera — 2025-12-10

The purpose of this document is to understand the tools Michel Foucault developed to explain the notion of the modern State, which, as a system of government, leads us to treat its actions as an act of power consisting, from his perspective, in the direction of behavior, that is, in making the other think what I want them to think, say what I want them to say, feel what I want them to feel, or do what I want them to do. In this direction of the other's behavior, various devices can be used, whether legal, prescriptive, or control, which implies three distinct, but not mutually exclusive, moments: sovereignty, discipline, or security. Each of these utilizes various technologies, whether of repression, normative, or guided freedom. Consequently, understanding the State from a Foucauldian perspective allows us to interpret it as an entity whose substantive function is the government of others, the leadership of the population through various devices and technologies, among other tools. Therefore, its study must be based on a historical review that allows us to understand its genealogy and analyze the degree of governability achieved based on the success or failure of the leadership achieved, or the current resistance on the part of its governed. It concludes by stating that Michel Foucault conceives of the State not as a centralized, institutional sovereign entity, but as the historical effect of a complex network of power relations, knowledge, and governing practices that come together to manage the lives of individuals and populations.

Higher Education with a Humanistic Approach: foundations for a comprehensive public welfare policy

Gisela García Garza — 2025-12-10

Contemporary education faces a critical challenge related to the emotional well-being of students, exacerbated by rising academic expectations that often lead to high levels of burnout and anxiety. These pressures foster harmful comparisons that can negatively impact students' quality of life. Recognizing and addressing these emotional difficulties is essential for developing an educational approach that prioritizes mental health and holistic learning. This study aims to analyze how the educational community at the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila promotes academic opportunities and addresses the emotional issues faced by students. Through a methodological approach that combines surveys and interviews, data were collected on students' perceptions and experiences. The results reveal that the implementation of training programs for educators, focused on themes of empathy and emotional support, generates academic opportunities for students. Furthermore, the integration of competencies in education contributes to creating a more humane educational environment. These findings allow to identify key elements that may serve as a basis for the design of university’s public politics aimed at the integral wellbeing of the student body, from a humanist, preventive and transformative perspective.

Between dependence and autonomy: the challenge of municipal public finances in the eastern part of the State of Mexico

Jorge Enrique Pérez Lara — 2025-12-10

This article presents a study on the prevailing link between public spending and proper management of municipal finances as a fundamental requirement to strengthen the socio-economic, political and management conditions that promote the improvement of the quality of life at the local level. This study is carried out in six representative municipalities of the Eastern Zone of the State of Mexico: Amecameca, Chalco, Ixtapaluca, Nezahualcóyotl, Texcoco and Valle de Chalco Solidaridad, in the period 2000-2023, through the analysis of three fundamental indicators: fiscal dependence, budgetary freedom and levels of public investment, as well as the implications for the human development index (HDI) in the aforementioned area.

Institutional capacities for urban climate action: the case of Leon, Guanajuato (Mexico)

Alex Ricardo Caldera Ortega — 2025-12-10

Climate change demands decisive action at the local level. Adaptation and mitigation actions are essential to reduce their effects. However, its approach demands the construction of environmental governance with a climate orientation that considers commitment, training and information, legal framework, networking and administrative structure, intersectoral collaboration, generation and management of technical information, dissemination and communication, as well as participation inclusive. With this, the objective is to know the current status of the climate change agenda in the municipality of León, Guanajuato. The research was qualitative: review of documents on climate action and conduct interviews with key actors using saturation technique. The results indicate leadership of the municipality in the institutional dimension at the state level, but with problems in the inter-institutional coordination part of the climate action policy and the inclusion of citizen participation that shows environmental governance.

Foster Families Program: an alternative in Mexico to mitigate the institutionalization of children and adolescents in residential care.

Xochiquetzal Esparza Moreno — 2025-12-10

Mexico has begun to change the way it cares for children and adolescents who lack parental care or are at risk of losing it since 2020. With the implementation of the National Foster Families Program, promoted by the National DIF, the traditional model of institutionalizing minors in residential centers is being replaced by temporary care in a family environment. This article analyzes the transformation of the child protection system, the commitments Mexico has made to uphold children's right to live in a family, and why foster care remains a recent program in the country despite having been in place for decades in the international context.

Public procurement with a gender perspective in Mexico as a boost to economic competition with equity

Sofía Salgado Remigio — 2025-12-10

Public procurement is one of the most important markets globally, accounting for between 13% and 20% of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). In Mexico, however, the participation of women entrepreneurs in this sector remains limited by structural barriers and an insufficient regulatory framework on gender equality.

The aims of this article are to analyze women's economic participation in public procurement, examine advances in international regulatory policy in this area, identify inequalities in the awarding of contracts, and propose guidelines to strengthen a national procurement policy with a gender perspective.

Methodologically, we worked with a representative sample of 374 contracts out of a total of 13,407 contracts awarded in 2022 through the CompraNet system, with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%. We identified the gender of the owners of the winning companies, which allowed us to observe patterns of inequality in the distribution of contracts.

The results show that only 14% of contracts were awarded to companies run by women, who also received six times less than their male counterparts. Sectoral segregation was also confirmed, with greater female participation in services and minimal presence in procurement and public works, which are the most profitable sectors. At the regulatory level, Mexican legislation includes indirect references to the inclusion of women in the labor market, but lacks binding mechanisms and follow-up, which contrasts with the progress made in countries such as Chile, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.

The study concludes that Mexican public procurement, by focusing on economic efficiency, reproduces structural inequalities and fails to take advantage of the potential of female participation. Incorporating a gender perspective in this sector is not only a social justice imperative, but also a key strategy for diversifying the market, strengthening competitiveness, and consolidating more equitable economic development.

Public policy and management. Some reflections in the context of control societies.

Isaí González Valadez — 2025-12-10

In recent years, the concept of public policy has gained special relevance. It seems that, in the face of global phenomena such as the crisis of modern governmental paradigms or the challenge of managing contemporary societies, public policy has become a useful tool that could help us address current problems. For this reason, it is necessary to constantly analyze what public policy means, how it functions, and, above all, what dynamics of action it can offer us today. In this article, we will attempt to identify and characterize some fundamental elements of public policy, interpreting them through the lens of an innovative proposal regarding what management entails, framed within the concept of “societies of control” as developed by the French thinker Gilles Deleuze.

Section B of Article 123: Critical notes on the relationship between the State and its workers.

Héctor Alberto Hoz Morales — 2025-12-10

The relationship between the Mexican State and its workers is governed by Section B of Article 123 of the Constitution. This article critically analyzes its background, the legislative process that created it in 1960, and the subsequent establishment of a labor exceptionality regime that allows state power to strengthen political control over its bureaucratic bodies, while simultaneously ensuring the provision of certain social security mechanisms for public sector workers.

The intersection between culture and politics: the evolution of cultural policies and the adaptation of the brazilian model of Cultura Viva Comunitaria in Mexico

Ivana Montserrat Ledesma Copca — 2025-12-10

The article explores the intersection between culture and politics, highlighting how cultural policies influence social and human development. It examines the evolution of cultural policies in Mexico, from the creation of the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA) to reforms during the Cuarta Transformación. The main focus is on the Cultura Viva Comunitaria movement, an innovative model originating in Brazil that promotes community participation and autonomy in cultural production. This movement seeks to democratize access to culture, strengthen community identity, and foster social inclusion through initiatives such as Culture Points. The analysis emphasizes the importance of designing inclusive and sustainable cultural policies that address contemporary dynamics, promoting equity and cultural democracy. Finally, it addresses the challenges and contradictions in implementing these policies in Mexico, underscoring the need for greater commitment to inclusion and community participation.

He Analytical compatibility and legislative collaboration: key elements in the policy formulation process for early childhood care 2016-2024 in Mexico

Ricardo Sánchez Ulloa — 2025-12-10

This article presents a documentary review on policy formulation in legislative initiatives related to early childhood care, covering the period from 2016 to 2024. The main objective is to analyze whether the existence of analytical compatibility in the Preferred Care Proposals (PAP) enables collaboration among the various political forces in the legislative body, which could translate into the selection of highly relevant political initiatives that contribute to addressing the public issue of early childhood care.

From the council to the ministry: comparative analysis of the transformation of science, technology, and innovation policies in Colombia and Mexico

José María Huerta Padilla — 2025-12-10

This study aims to analyze the organizational transformation processes of the National Science and Technology Councils of Colombia and Mexico into their current configurations as a Ministry and a Secretariat of State, respectively. To this end, the research employs the Most Similar Systems Design (MSSD) as a methodological approach, exploring the similarities and differences in the political and institutional factors that influenced these processes. The document is structured into three main sections: an introduction to the concept and characteristics of public policies on science, technology, and innovation (STI); a review of STI policy models in Latin America; and the comparative analysis of the specific cases of Colombia and Mexico. The study highlights how political contexts and governmental ideologies have shaped institutional and organizational designs in both countries, influencing the orientation and objectives of STI policies.