MEXICO´S MEXICO´S COUNTRY REPORT COUNTRY REPORT ON E-DEMOCRACYON E-DEMOCRACY

Government On-Line International Network

Mexico City

September 2001

CONTENTS

E-Democracy

Current Situation

Mexico On Line

Citizen´s Participation System for the Technology and Science Transition Team

Citizen´s Consultation for the 2001-2006 National Development Plan

Very recent term, there´s still some ambiguity:

• E-voting

• Congress Online

• Virtual Parties

• Services online

• Online citizen consultation

To enable the citizen to participate in the policy making

This brings a new dynamic that only tecnology permits.

E-DEMOCRACY

CURRENT SITUATION

What has been done in Mexico, regarding Online Consultation?

There are three pilot projects at the national level:

•o México en Línea (Mexico On Line: www.mexicoenlinea.gob.mx)

•o   Citizen´s Participation System for the Technology and Science Transition Team (www.transicion2000-cyt.org.mx/asp/inicio/indice.asp)

•o     Citizen´s Consultation for the National Development Plan (Plan Nacional de Desarrollo).

MEXICO ON LINE

•Developed by the President´s Office

• Their aim is to break the old paradigms about the citizen-government relationship

• The first step in the is a 24 hours a day -7 days a week digital broadcasting channel, in the web page.

•The channel has three main segments:Alive broadcasting of the program “México en Línea” In a roundtable format the presenters chat with the guests, which are remarkable members of the public administration or of some NGO.

Broadcasting of the President´s Program.The radio program transmitted by the President every Saturday is broadcasted by this channel at the same time.

24-hour Channel. The remaining time of the transmition is Mexican music and public campaigns of the federal government´s programs.

 

 

 

MEXICO ON LINE

The results that already have been achieved are:

• Approach to the citizenry by the provision of information.

• Use of the available interactivity.

• Problem solving by receiving the citizen´s concerns, and channeling them to the responsible authority.

The results expected in the future are:

• Rise of credibility and going from strength to strenght in citizen-government relationship.

• Opinion polls.

• Consultation oriented to the modification of public policy.

MEXICO ON LINE

PUBLIC POLICY

 The Participation System in

Internet allowed:

• Reception

• Classification

• Discussion and

• Publication of the proposals made by the members of the science and technology community.

 

CITIZEN´S PARTICIPATION SYSTEM FOR THE TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

TRANSITION TEAMAfter the presidential elections of the 2 of July of 2000, “transition teams” were built around different public issues

The Science and Technology Transition Team considered the use of Internet to make a public consultation.

             

CITIZEN´S PARTICIPATION SYSTEM FOR THE TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE TRANSITION

TEAM

•The system registered 3,509 entries.

• All the topics were summarized into four main subjects:

Human Resources, (20% participation)

Academic Line, (30% participation)

Research Projects (30% participation)

Academic and Productive (10% participation)

Sectors Linking.

Others (10% participation)

CITIZEN´S PARTICIPATION SYSTEM FOR THE TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE

TRANSITION TEAM

CITIZEN´S CONSULTATION FOR THE 2001-2006 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

(PLAN NACIONAL DE DESARROLLO 2001-2006)

The National Development Plan (PND) represents the main Federation’s planning instrument

A system was organized to promote the participation of the citizens in a nation wide program

The issues were assembled in the three most important government areas:

• Human and Social Development

• Growing with Quality, and

• Order and Respect.

CITIZEN´S CONSULTATION FOR THE 2001-2006 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

•Period: From February to April 2001

•Characteristics, such as geograghy, gender, socioeconomic level, age, ethnic group, access to mass media, were considered to design the method to gather opinions considered the population

Two different processes to gather opinions:

• mailed surveys and

•Internet:

CITIZEN´S CONSULTATION FOR THE 2001-2006 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Mailed Surveys

Questionnaires were distributed in which people could explain one or more proposals regarding the 110 national issues.

Sent by Mexican Post Office, or delivered in public agencies.

Surveys by Internet

The Internet page built for the PND :

• extended the posibilities of participation

• speeded the registration of opinions, and

• permited the participation of Mexicans that live abroad .

Results

A National Center for Recollection of Proposals was created at the INEGI (National Data National Data Processing, Geography and Statistics Processing, Geography and Statistics InstituteInstitute ).

There were received 153,367 proposals and approximately 1,000 of them came from Mexicans living abroad.

By Internet 43,230 proposals were received and later classified by the INEGI.

CITIZEN´S CONSULTATION FOR THE 2001-2006 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

26% of the proposals were made by less than 20 years old people; 34% by people between 21 and 40 years old; 22%, by people older than 40 years old. The remaining 18% did not specify its age.

THE FUTURE: WHAT´S DO BE ADRESSED

•The efforts already made should keep their impulse.

•Consultations must not be only circumstancial, but a permanent practice of the government. They are part of a policy making cycle.

•The citizen should be able to know how his/her participation is being used

•A public policy regarding public consultations should be discussed and elaborated at the national level.