Experiences and Challenges in Public Information Centers

in the State of Morelos, Mexico

Roque López Tarango, Crisóforo Álvarez Violante, Silvia Cartujano Escobar, Selene Viridiana Pérez Ramírez, Paula Ponce Lázaro
(State University of Morelos, México)

Abstract: Democratic states are characterized by the participation of their citizens in the management of public affairs, getting institutions and administrations be considered as their own, close to them and open to their needs and aspirations, but above all, they acquire social legitimacy of their work. To achieve it, it is essential to establish mechanisms that enable institutions to open to the public, and help to gain citizen confidence. In the State of Morelos, the Public Information Act, Statistics and Data Protection was enacted on the 27th August, 2003. Derived from it, it is mandatory for all state and municipal public entities to ensure the exercise of the right to have access to public information, through its corresponding Public Information Center. Adecade after the enactment of the Act aforementioned, it is relevant to assess the progress achieved in this area, since we must keep in mind that the implementation of a public policy of transparency has an economic cost, as it is necessary to invest in administrative structures, human resources and materials, staff training, information dissemination, and other that must be anticipated and assumed, in order to prevent that the content of the law remains a rhetorical speech or as a programmatic content.

Key words: democratic state; transparency; public information; public policy; public information unit

JEL code: K00