CONTRIBUTION OF CONEVAL TO THE OBJECTIVES OF THE
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN
In order to guarantee the
effectiveness of the actions undertakes, Core Idea 5 “Effective democracy and responsible
external policy” of the National Development Plan (Plan Nacional de Desarrollo,
PND) 2007-2012 establishes that effective democracy must reduce the gap between
citizens and their representatives through transparency and accountability
mechanisms; it must encourage dialog and the formation of agreements between
the different powers, the different levels of government, and between these and
political organizations.

Mexico must increase the
effectiveness of its democracy so that the economic and social achievements
translate into permanent improvements in the quality of life of citizens.
Accordingly, the governing document establishes as tasks “to increase the
fulfillment of basic needs in quantity and quality, measure the progress on
aspects like education, health, housing, infrastructure and the reduction of
poverty”, the purpose being to improve the effectiveness of governmental
actions and compliance with the objectives and guiding principles of social and
human development policy.
In order to improve the
performance of public administration, the PND 2007-2012 establishes as
Objective 4 of this Core Idea, “Improve the regulation, management, processes
and results of Federal Public Administration to satisfy the needs of the
citizens regarding the delivery of public goods and services.
The Strategies that will
best contribute to improving efficiency and effectiveness, as well as
accountability, are: “4.4. Adopt a results-based budget design model that
facilitates accountability and generates incentives for Federal Public
Administration to comply with its stated goals; and 4.5. Evaluate the
performance of government programs and their impact on the population.
Strategy 4.4 sets out as a
fundamental requirement of society the transparent, effective and efficient use
of public funds, as well as guarantee that government priorities are achieved.
To execute this action, the Federal Government has seen fit to adopt
Results-Based Budgeting; one of its core principles is the evaluation of
government programs as the start of a new type of public management aimed at
results which structurally modifies and improves the planning, programming,
approval and exercise of budgets. Results-Based Budgeting consists of several
processes and instruments that allow the decisions involved in the budget to
systematically incorporate considerations about results obtained in the application of public
funds.
This is complemented by
Strategy 4.5 which establishes that in order to allocate public funds under a
Results-Based Budgeting approach, an objective, participative and transparent
evaluation mechanism is required for all government programs and institutions
that help guide budget allocations based on results and efficacy, as well as
lift productivity and modernize specific processes. This Strategy will be based
on a new system for evaluating performance using indicators in terms of
coverage, efficiency, economic and social impact, quality and equality that
allow federal government actions to be monitored.
Furthermore, Core Idea 3 “Equal
Opportunities”, establishes as the outcome of social policy the achievement of
human development and the wellbeing of all Mexicans through equal opportunities
with the following guiding principles: focus resources on the programs that
have proven themselves the most effective; use evaluation and follow-up systems
that allow constant monitoring and improvement of programs, as well as promote
the coordination of actions between Federal Government agencies and bodies, and
the different levels of government.
Therefore, in the
framework of Objective 1: Strategy 1.4 states “Significantly reduce the number
of Mexicans living in poverty through public policies that no longer rely on a
hand-out approach to help individuals acquire capacities and generate work
opportunities”. Improve the planning, operation and evaluation processes of
programs aimed at overcoming poverty, including the preparation of a unique
register of beneficiaries.
Strategy 1.4, contrived as
an instrument for overcoming the conditions of poverty in the population, puts
systems into place within social policy to monitor programs at their different
stages, including evaluation. It also sets out the design for a comprehensive
information system that contains a unique register of beneficiaries for all
social programs which allows the best actions to be focused on places,
communities and families most in need of State action.
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