Foreword

This review of Digital Government in Mexico discusses and assesses the evolution, achievements and challenges of the digital government policy in Mexico. It was prepared at the request of the Coordination of the National Digital Strategy office (Coordinación de la Estrategia Digital Nacional, CEDN) at the Office of the President in Mexico with the support of the Ministry of Public Administration (Secretaría de la Función Pública, SFP), and the Research and Innovation Centre on Information and Communications Technology (INFOTEC). The review provides recommendations on how to strengthen the governance and accelerate the digital transformation of the public sector in Mexico.

Since the early 2000s, Mexico has sought to make the most of digital opportunities to improve government performance. It first partnered with the OECD in the 2005 eGovernment Review of Mexico. In 2011, the OECD Public Governance Review of Mexico also touched upon the implementation of e-government.

Mexico has engaged closely with the OECD on open government data, which is a critical element for the digital transformation. The 2016 Open Government Data Review of Mexico was followed by the 2018 report on Open Government Data in Mexico: The Way Forward. The collaboration with Mexico was also pivotal for the development of the 2017 OECD/G20 “Compendium of good practices on the use of open data for anti-corruption”.

These continuous efforts have borne fruit. Mexico has established itself as a global and regional leader in digital government and open government data. However, as digital government matures and requires alignment across policy areas, more effective co ordination will be needed from the centre to ensure coherent and cohesive digital transformation across the entire public sector. This is a core element of the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Digital Government Strategies adopted in 2014. Open, collaborative and inclusive approaches require a cultural change in the administration, and the right leadership and political support to overcome institutional legacies and silos. These fundamental changes require a governance framework that links and engages the different actors for a sustainable implementation of digital government strategies and secures long-term continuity and sustainability of actions and results.

The current volume of Digital Government in Mexico takes stock of Mexico’s journey towards the digital transformation of government. It focuses on a whole-of-government approach and on sound governance frameworks as enablers of sustained policy results. It looks at the provision of public services that use data and emerging technologies, and involve the users in service design processes. It acknowledges successes and identifies the areas of opportunity (for instance, in terms of governance) that will help sustain the emergence of Mexico as a global digital leader.

This report contributes to and benefits from the OECD Going Digital project, an OECD wide two-year initiative assessing the impact of the digital revolution across policy areas. It also draws on the strengths of OECD policy communities in this area, including the OECD Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials (E-Leaders).