La Revista del CLAD Reforma y Democracia está dedicada a fomentar el diálogo e intercambio de ideas para avanzar en la comprensión de las relaciones Estado-Sociedad, y a divulgar propuestas y alternativas para orientar las transformaciones necesarias en la Administración Pública. Es una propuesta del sur global para el mundo, y asegura su disponibilidad a través del acceso abierto y la publicación continua. Nuestros artículos son evaluados bajo la modalidad de “doble ciego”, garantizando el anonimato de autoras/es y evaluadoras/es. La revista es una publicación cuatrimestral, en tres idiomas: español, portugués e inglés, y se publica en formato digital.
Centro Latinoamericano de Administración para el Desarrollo - CLAD
Los contenidos de la revista se distribuyen bajo la licencia Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional (CC BY-NC-4.0), que permite a los usuarios copiar, usar, difundir, transmitir y exponer públicamente los contenidos, siempre y cuando se cite la autoría (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0).
Regulating revolving doors in Mexico: a critical analysis of recent institutional actions
The revolving door phenomenon (the movement of public servants between the public and private sectors) poses a risk to public integrity by facilitating conflicts of interest, regulatory capture, and corrupt practices. Mexico has few systematic studies evaluating the effectiveness of its regulatory framework and institutional actions to prevent this problem. This documentary analysis reviews laws, institutional reports, and specialized literature to assess the measures implemented in the last seven years in the federal public administration to regulate revolving doors. The results reveal regulatory gaps that limit the State's capacity to protect the public interest. In response, it is proposed to reform the General Law of Administrative Responsibilities by incorporating a specific chapter that grants ex-ante powers to Internal Control Bodies to identify conflicts of interest, establishes a mandatory public registry of former public servants moving to the private sector, defines differentiated cooling-off periods according to hierarchical level, and strengthens oversight and sanction mechanisms. Although the study is limited by a lack of public information and official databases, its recommendations seek to strengthen the institutional architecture of integrity and the preventive capacity of the public service.
Copyright (c) 2026 Alicia Eguía Casis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
And yet, it moves!: A manual for the advancement of public administration
Copyright (c) 2026 Marcela Cifarelli https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Book Review of V Informe Regional del Sistema FLACSO: Análisis y estudios de políticas públicas en América Latina y el Caribe, por G. del Castillo Alemán & J. del Cid Castro (Coords.), by G. del Castillo Alemán & J. del Cid Castro (Coords.)
Copyright (c) 2026 Mauricio I. Dussauge Laguna https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Facilitators and obstacles to innovation in public management: perceptions of public officials in local governments, Chiloe Province, Chile
This article assesses the perceptions of public officials in local governments in Chile regarding public innovation. Special emphasis is placed on their disposition toward innovation and the identification of facilitators and barriers to innovation in the public sector in general, and in municipalities in particular. The study comprised a case study in the Chiloe archipelago, Chile, employing a mixed-methods approach that included documentary analysis and a questionnaire administered to local government leaders. The results indicate a high level of knowledge about public innovation and a high willingness to participate in innovative initiatives. The main facilitators and barriers of public innovation were identified. Among the former, the political will of the authorities and investment in innovation stand out; among the latter, the burden of regular administrative work and the lack of skills to manage innovation stand out. Differences were found in the responses regarding the facilitators and barriers of innovation by gender and municipal size. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of public innovation in local public administrations in Chile, contributing empirical information to the debate on public innovation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rodrigo España-Ruiz, Daniela Rivera-Cubillos, Claudio Rivera-Mercado, Eduardo Mondaca-Mansilla, Cristian Zahn-Muñoz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
International Benchmarking on Strategic Management of Health Regulation
The article explores best practices in strategic management across eight health regulatory agencies from various regions — Europe, North America, South America, and Oceania — are explored, with a focus on these institutions’ priorities for protecting and promoting health. Among the common strategic themes identified in the research are innovation, with the use of emerging technologies to improve evaluations and accelerate access to new therapies; environmental sustainability, through the promotion of ecological practices and responsible resource use; international collaboration to confront global threats such as pandemics and antimicrobial resistance; and clear, accessible communication, which is essential for consumers to make informed decisions. Furthermore, it was found that, in a transversal manner, the analyzed institutions are enhancing their risk management systems to anticipate, identify, and mitigate threats — an aspect particularly relevant in the face of health crises and rapid technological evolution. The study delves deeply into the practices of the European Medicines Agency and the Danish Medicines Agency, emphasizing management methodologies, governance structures, and monitoring processes that contribute to effective strategic management. It was also observed that recognition and incentive practices strengthen engagement and ensure sustainable results, offering a comprehensive and relevant perspective for improving health regulation globally.
Copyright (c) 2025 JOAO PAULO MOTA, Lucas Lima Moreno, Pedro Vilela, Gustavo Henrique Trindade da Silva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Ecosistemas Digitales: La Revolución Silenciosa del Estado Abierto
Despite more than a decade of global momentum, the “traditional” Open Government paradigm faces structural bottlenecks that limit its impact on transparency, accountability, citizen participation, and collaboration. This paper analyzes its root causes, ranging from organizational culture to the low impact of public management, through technical fragmentation, regulatory inertia, and fractured governance. In response, we propose a study of the “Digital Ecosystem of Integrability (DIE) model” developed in Argentina, based on the methodology proposed by Naser (2021). Naser's guide articulates, evaluates, and values Digital Governance and Government Interoperability strategies and encourages the demonstration of Open Government and Open Data actions as integrated dimensions of the Open State. Argentina's DIE model is deployed within the framework of the IRAM 17610-1 standard and is based on the principles and technological architecture of the Estonian digital ecosystem. These ecosystems constitute a public infrastructure that enables distributed interoperability, traceability of data exchanges, and the creation of digital trust between institutions and citizens. Through specific cases from several Argentine provinces (Neuquén and Mendoza), we demonstrate how the EDI model can transform public management, strengthen transparency, and restore hope for a truly open, efficient, and trustworthy state.
integrability, interoperability, open government, transparency, secure multi-party computation
Copyright (c) 2025 Gustavo Ernesto Giorgetti, Dante Moreno, Diego Felipe Ugalde https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Indebtedness in Brazil: mapping from the data analysis bootcamp promoted by Enap
This project, developed as the final part of the Data Analysis Bootcamp for Women at the National School of Public Administration (Enap), provides a comprehensive overview of the indebtedness of the Brazilian population. Based on the knowledge acquired during the bootcamp, it was possible to extract, clean, and analyze data from the Central Bank of Brazil on this topic using the Python language. The tools and techniques learned allowed the creation of graphic and interactive visualizations, providing a clear and informative analysis of the current scenario of indebtedness in the country. The article discusses how indebtedness varies among different population groups, reflecting their distinct economic realities. The analysis reveals that the forms and reasons for indebtedness differ significantly according to individuals’ occupation and income. These findings are crucial for the formulation of more effective public policies that consider the specificities of each group and aim to mitigate the risks associated with excessive indebtedness of Brazilian families.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bruna Gonçalves Fonseca Moura, Érika Rezende Lopes, Grace Batista Monteiro, Iluska Kaltenecker Retto de Queiroz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Artificial intelligence to analyze the GovTech phenomenon: Barriers, facilitators and trends
The GovTech phenomenon involves collaboration between governments, companies, and other actors using digital technologies to solve complex public problems, aiming to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, and accessibility of public services, while fostering citizen participation and generating public value. However, GovTech lacks consolidated academic definitions and is considered a research gap. This article explored gray literature, such as reports and digital publications, through documentary analysis supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools — SciSpace, ChatGPT, and Gemini — to answer: what are the barriers, facilitators, and trends related to GovTech identified with AI support? Data validation was conducted through triangulation among four researchers, increasing the reliability of the results. We identified four main dimensions: GovTech definitions, trends, facilitators, barriers, and challenges. The research developed a framework that consolidates information and highlights key dimensions of the phenomenon, demonstrating possible interrelations. The results provide an expanded understanding and can be applied in various contexts while presenting a new research agenda. Trends indicate increasing digitalization of public services, data-driven decision-making, and the integration of emerging and sustainable technologies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dayse Karenine De Oliveira Carneiro, Nathalia de Melo Santos, Mauro Célio Araújo dos Reis, Darlla Layse Torres de Lima https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The article's argument is that the world has entered a turning point it calls “the era of discontents,” characterized by political volatility and the rise of various forms of populism. While governing has become more challenging in the era of discontents in advanced economies, the same – and even more so – applies to Latin America. In this context, three crises characterize the region: a development crisis, a growth crisis, and a crisis of representation. The three crises are interrelated and did not begin with the new era. However, the turning point reinforces them, deepening their repercussions and giving them new characteristics, which negatively impact the quality of democracy in the region. The article concludes that the disruptions in the political and economic order characteristic of the new era combine dangers, uncertainties, and opportunities for the region. To neutralize the dangers, face the uncertainties, and seize the opportunities, a strategic vision is required to identify the region's main problems and how to address them.
Copyright (c) 2025 Francisco Panizza https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Towards a more equitable social organization of care: analysis of the design of five care systems in Latin America
Due to the ongoing care crisis in Latin America, in recent decades governments in the region have begun developing comprehensive care systems. This article offers a comparative analysis of five emblematic care system designs—three at the national level (Chile, Uruguay, and Costa Rica) and two at the subnational one (Bogotá, Colombia, and San Pedro Garza García, Mexico)—that explicitly aim to coordinate policy interventions for caregivers and care recipients. We examine these systems through a public policy lens. We argue that understanding how these systems reshape the social organization of care requires a comprehensive analysis of the policies involved, the interplay among their instruments—regulations, goods, and services—and their target populations. Drawing on literature reviews, official documents, and interviews, we identify the design components of each system. Taking as a reference the objectives of recognizing, reducing, and redistributing unpaid care work, along with ensuring the right to care, we explain how these systems contribute to a more equitable care structure.
Copyright (c) 2025 Cynthia Michel, Guillermo M. Cejudo, Adriana S. Oseguera Gamba https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Gender inequality in public administration. Analysis of the Argentine case between 2009 and 2023
The gender gap in management positions and certain areas of management is a phenomenon that persists in public administrations despite recent progress in women's participation in various workplaces. This situation poses a challenge to the institutional quality of democracies as the State fails to build bureaucracies representative of the society it governs. The objective of this article is to analyze, in Argentina, the evolution of the gender gap in access to senior public management positions between 2009 and 2023 (what is known as vertical segregation or “glass ceiling”) and to complement this analysis with an analysis of gender gaps by management area (horizontal segregation or “glass walls”) for 2023. It also explores the hypotheses that allow us to understand this evolution based on the public policies implemented during the period. The results obtained will allow us to infer in which types of positions the ceiling specifically begins to operate, which areas of management are most feminized and which are most masculinized, and whether these characteristics are linked to the type of position held, thus establishing relationships between the two types of segregation (vertical and horizontal).
Copyright (c) 2025 Ana Castellani https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Peru: Systematic review on inclusive public management to mitigate inequality and popular overflow, 2020 – 2025
The Latin American Council of Administration for Development [CLAD] established that disability, ethnic and cultural differences, rurality, and gender are aspects that Latin American public administrations must understand from an intersectional perspective to achieve real inclusion and equity. Still, states fail to align with the problems, requirements, and expectations of citizens, which is why popular upheavals occur periodically. This systematic review, conducted in Peru, was based on the question: How does Peruvian public management address the structural causes of inequality to strengthen inclusion and contribute to mitigating popular uprisings? The objective was to evaluate the approach of Peruvian public management towards addressing the structural causes of inequality and strengthening inclusion to mitigate popular uprisings. It was approached from the positivist paradigm, using the technique of bibliographic review and applying the PRISMA method to forty-eight books, norms, and articles. The study utilized Google Scholar, Redalyc, Scielo, Scopus, and WOS as academic search engines, focusing on the categories of inclusive public management, inequality, and popular overflow. Regarding the main results, it was determined that despite governmental efforts, gaps in education and work, access to public services, security, and citizen participation remain and have even intensified, which could translate into popular overflows. It is essential for the State to promote truly inclusive and effective governance, free of corruption, to address the root causes of citizen discontent and to combine development policies within the framework of transparency and the rule of law.
Copyright (c) 2025 Esperanza Marlene Zapata Carnaqué https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Public Communication and Open Government in Latin America: Exploring Convergences
This original study explores the relationship between public communication and open government, aiming to integrate public communication with the principles of open government to promote more transparent, participatory, and responsive governance. The methodology combines a literature review, analysis of international organization guidelines, and examination of Open Government Partnership (OGP) Local Action Plans. The analysis of the action plans of Latin American OGP members reveals an underutilization of public communication, with only four subnational governments addressing the topic. The study emphasizes the need to recognize public communication as a fundamental principle in future OGP action plans, recommending a review of current practices to better align them with global guidelines. Furthermore, it highlights the role of political education in public communication for the implementation of open government principles, such as transparency, citizen participation, and accountability. The research suggests the strategic inclusion of public communication in future OGP plans, contributing significantly to theoretical and practical debates on democratic and participatory governance, and underscores the urgency of a more robust and integrated approach.
Public Communication, Open Government, Citizen Participation, Local Governments, Open Government Partnership
Copyright (c) 2025 Wagner Rocha, Gisele Craveiro https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Democracies, Populisms, and the State in Latin America. Some observations for the current debate
The brief observations focus on some key challenges that Latin American states are currently confronting, and on the question of how they can function effectively in their present state and under the pressures of polarizing transformations. There will be four points: First, the current state of democracies will be discussed, which is basically characterized by processes of democratic erosion or recession. Second, the challenges posed by the various populist movements, politics, and regimes will be addressed, which have proliferated and changed, making them more radical, aggressive, and detrimental to democratic politics. The third section will be dedicated to the problems of the functioning of the states in Latin America, their aspirations, shortcomings, and deviations, and the transformations the model of the weak ‘strong developmental state’ has gone through during the last half-century. In the final fourth point, some recommendations for political action and for further clarification and research will be debated (‘what could be done’).
Copyright (c) 2025 Hans-Jürgen Puhle https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Participation and collaborative Governance
Democracy implies participation and gains legitimacy by adding collaborative governance. This enhances trust in all three stages of participation: informing, consulting, and engaging. However, cultures of participation and collaboration matter in the interactions of citizens, politics, and administrations. A special focus is needed for situations of crises. A general focus is needed at the micro, the meso, and the macro level to ensure resilience.
Copyright (c) 2025 Geert Bouckaert https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Open Government in Brazil: Evolution and Thematic Trends in National Action plans
This article presents the main results of a research project with a general objective of identifying and analyzing the thematic trends and directions of open government commitments in six National Action plans in Brazil, utilizing lexicometric analysis using the software Iramuteq and Excel. The research aims to answer questions about the most recurring themes and keywords, the evolution of plans over time, and whether consistent patterns indicate changes in priority or new approaches in open government policies, thereby contributing to the open government maturity model theory. The results revealed the evolution of the themes throughout the government cycles, evidencing the maturation and adaptation of public policies. The analysis highlighted the centrality of terms such as “data,” “open,” and “public,” reflecting the continuity of key areas including transparency and participation. This study contributes to understanding the evolution of government commitments over time. It provides a basis for future research and suggests a methodology that can be applied in similar contexts and a comparative perspective between countries and regions. As a limitation, we highlight the fact that this is only an analysis of the Brazilian case.
Open government, action plan, transparency, participation, lexicometry.
Copyright (c) 2025 Amanda Luri Furini Wada, Gabriela de Brelaz, Luciana Massaro Onusic, Lusi Hernan Contreras Pinochet https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Public integrity in Spain: a study of municipal websites. The impact of the autonomous community, the size of the municipality, and the mayor's gender
Recent studies indicate a decline in public trust in institutions among Spaniards (Transparencia Internacional, 2024). One of the causes of this issue lies in the perception of a lack of public integrity (Centro de investigaciones sociológicas, 2024). This article examines the information displayed on the web portals of the local councils of five autonomous communities (Cataluña, Comunidad of Madrid, Comunitat Valenciana, islas Baleares and Region of Murcia)and evaluates the degree of compliance with the Infoparticipa Map indicators related to public integrity (12 out of 52). A categorical content analysis was carried out, based on the Infoparticipa indicators, and two ordinary least squares linear regression models were used. According to previous studies (Juaristi y Alonso, 2024; Paricio et al., 2023), greater compliance can be expected in municipalities governed by female mayors with larger populations, since their administrations have more resources with which to achieve it. The same applies to autonomous communities with a longer track record in terms of both their own autonomous legislation on transparency and the implementation of the Infoparticipa methodology.The results demonstrate that the sex of the mayor, the size of the population, and the autonomous communities are all contributors to the achievement of these indicators related to public integrity.
Public Integrity, Infoparticipa Map, Local administration, Transparency, Democractic quality.
Copyright (c) 2025 Blanca Nicasio-Varea, Katia Esteve-Mallent, Elena Juaristi-Besalduch https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
How to evaluate open justice? Case of the open justice metric
Open justice is an approach that seeks to make justice systems more transparent and democratized, promoting values ​​such as transparency, citizen participation, and accountability. Over the last decade, the concept of “open justice” has gained relevance as a key model for strengthening the rule of law and fostering public trust in justice institutions and their ecosystem. The recent evolution of justice has been marked by the emergence of new digital technologies, from the internet, platforms for accessing judicial data, and interactive mechanisms. The “Open Justice Metric” (OJM) is a report that analyzes and evaluates the degree of openness in Mexico's justice institutions. However, this metric serves as a basis for adaptation to other countries. The report concludes that, while some progress has been made in transparency, there are significant opportunities for improvement in the areas of participation, collaboration, and accountability. It also highlights that having robust methodologies for measuring open justice is crucial, as it not only enables the diagnosis of the state of open justice but also guides its implementation and strengthens its positive impact on society.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Edgar A. Ruvalcaba-Gómez https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
(Re)empowered Democracy: Artificial Intelligence as a catalyst for Open Government in Latin America
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming public administrations in Latin America, generating unprecedented opportunities to improve efficiency, transparency, citizen participation, and accountability. This article explores, through an exploratory and quantitative approach, the interrelationship between AI development and the principles of open government in the region. Using Pearson correlation analysis and principal component analysis, data from 19 Latin American countries are examined based on indicators such as innovation, integrity, transparency, democracy, and digital governance. The results show a strong relationship between AI development and public innovation, as well as with digital governance and democratic quality, although institutional weaknesses are also evident, limiting its transformative potential. It is concluded that AI can be an ally in strengthening democracy, as long as it is embedded in ethical, robust, and participatory institutional ecosystems that are open to social oversight and committed to fundamental rights, equity, and effective transparency.
Copyright (c) 2025 Guido Moncayo-Vives, José Luis Ros-Medina, José Manuel Mayor Balsas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The path toward focused transparency in Ecuador: Analysis of alignment with citizen needs
This article analyzes the evolution of targeted transparency in Ecuador using a comparative empirical approach between requests for access to public information submitted between 2018 and 2022 and the publications made by five ministries under the new regulatory framework of the Ley Orgánica de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información Pública, reformed in 2023. Through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of more than a thousand records, patterns of citizen demand are identified, the requested information is categorized, and a thematic alignment index is constructed to assess the degree of correspondence with institutional publications on targeted transparency on the Portal Nacional de Transparencia (2024–2025). The findings reveal low thematic alignment in most ministries, suggesting persistent challenges in the effective implementation of transparency oriented to social demand. It is concluded that focused transparency requires strengthening its methodological foundations, its connection with empirical evidence, and its coherence with the historically expressed needs for social control.
Copyright (c) 2025 Irma Jara-Iñiguez, Mario Hidalgo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
From reactive to proactive government: Scope, limitations, and safeguards
The digitalization of public administration has been developing at an increasingly accelerated pace. In particular, it is noteworthy the impact produced by the combination of interoperability between systems and databases with generative artificial intelligence, which among other things, allow governments to deliver increasingly personalized services to citizens, so that public management is gradually moving from a long stage in which it satisfied the needs and demands of citizens in a reactive manner, to one in which technology allows anticipating the demand of users proactively. This paper analyzes the scope of this technological transition in public management, the restrictions of its possible adoption in technologically lagging countries and the safeguards that should be considered from the point of view of cybersecurity, privacy of individual data and possible risks to democratic life.
Copyright (c) 2025 Oscar Oszlak https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
From Public Action to Evidence-Based Public Policies: The Case of Quebec’s Pay Equity Act
In the field of public policy formulation and institutional design, the use of scientific evidence has become a fundamental principle to guide informed and effective decision-making. However, despite its widespread acceptance, the integration of evidence into public action—understood as the broader process through which social and state actors construct and legitimize collective problems—faces complex challenges that go beyond the mere availability of reliable data. This article explores the reasons that justify insisting on evidence-based practice, considering the tensions between political objectives and technical criteria, the erosion of social consensus on factual reality, and the methodological implications in the production and application of knowledge. Through this analysis and an emblematic example of public policy, Quebec’s Pay Equity Act, which was embedded in a broader public action and achieved concrete progress in reducing gender discrimination in the labor market, the article offers a critical reflection on how to ensure that evidence contributes legitimately and effectively to institutional change in dynamic and often contradictory socio-political contexts.
public action, public policies, discrimination, methodology, evidence
Copyright (c) 2025 Victor Armony https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The resilience of the regulatory state in an age of polycrisis
The world of ‘polycrisis’ poses fundamental questions about the resilience of the regulatory state. This paper introduces the core challenges of the polycrisis era for the regulatory state. Particular attention is paid to debates surrounding resilience and how regulatory regimes may develop capacity for resilience. The paper considers resilience in terms of information processing capacity. It identifies four possible futures for the regulatory state in an age of polycrisis, but notes that such futures depend on assumptions regarding the resourcefulness of regulators and the regulated. It suggests that building resilience into regulatory capacity requires continuous mediation and conversation, rather than relying on fixed blueprints.
Copyright (c) 2025 Martin Lodge https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Open Parliament: analysis of institutional practices in the State Assemblies of Northeast Brazil
This study analyzed institutional practices in the adoption of Open Parliament principles and dimensions in the Assemblies of the Northeastern Brazilian states. The research employed a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches, beginning with an nethnographic examination of the websites of nine state parliaments. Then, using exploratory data analysis, they created the Institutional Index of Open Legislative Government in the States (IIGALE-Brazil). It was found that, even with an overall IIGALE-Brazil result considered “satisfactory,” the websites, social networks, and transparency portals of the sample investigated still need to make significant improvements to follow the general precepts, based on the literature, on Open Government. The overall result was strongly marked by the predominance of compliance with the active transparency dimension to the detriment of the other dimensions (participation and collaboration), which were in “fair” compliance. Important aspects related to these two dimensions, above all, still need to be better addressed by the institutions studied for effective interaction in the implementation of the Open Parliament philosophy.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Caroline Alves de Oliveira Matoso, Thiago Ferreira Dias https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Practical Guide for the Formulation of Open Government Initiatives by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Presidential Advisory Commission for Integrity and Transparency (2025)
The Practical Guide for the Formulation of Open Government Initiatives, developed by ECLAC and the Presidential Advisory Commission for Public Integrity and Transparency of the Government of Chile, serves as a valuable tool for those promoting open government agendas in Latin America and the Caribbean. The document synthesizes key concepts and presents a formulation model accompanied by a worksheet with eleven sections, guiding users from problem identification to the dissemination of results. Its main strength lies in aligning with the standards of the Open Government Partnership and offering examples and recommendations drawn from past experiences. The review highlights strengths such as clarity, practical usefulness, and the relevance of including institutional strengthening as a core component. However, it also points out limitations: limited conceptual depth, a lack of broader bibliographic references, the absence of examples of both success and failure, and the rigidity of the model in diverse institutional contexts. Additionally, the guide is noted to resemble more a project design manual than a management tool. In conclusion, it is a valuable contribution, but it requires greater conceptual depth and adaptability to become a comprehensive reference for the sustainable implementation of open government.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ernesto Velasco Sánchez, Cristina Galíndez Hernández https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Abrir el Estado: ¿Quién tiene la llave?, O. Oszlak
Copyright (c) 2025 Pablo Bulcourf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Public sector innovation capacities: a comparative review of Latin American indexes in Colombia and Chile
Over the last decade, there has been increased discussion regarding public innovation in general and public innovation capabilities in particular. This growing, yet nascent, interest has emerged at both the theoretical and academic levels, as well as in the field of public administration practice. One outcome of this process in the region has been the development of various instruments such as toolkits and indices. This article aims to systematize part of the theoretical framework in this area and to analyze, in a comparative manner, two Latin American experiences with measurement indices in Colombia and Chile: the Public Innovation Capabilities Index (ICIP) and the Public Innovation Index (IIP), respectively. To this end, we conducted a documentary review of the technical reports published by the central government agencies responsible for the indices, as well as semi-structured interviews with representatives from both projects. Among the main findings of the investigation are variations and similarities across design, implementation, and evaluation. Furthermore, while in Colombia the index prioritizes the descriptive aspect, the Chilean experience contemplates coordination with other actions in the public innovation program aimed at strengthening capacities.
Copyright (c) 2026 Matías Parano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Opening Speech – CLAD Congress – November 26, 2024
It is with great satisfaction that I open the 29th Congress of the Latin American Center for Development Administration (CLAD). Created more than 50 years ago, CLAD is a strategic international organization with the mission of promoting the strengthening of institutional capacities in Ibero-American countries and the transformation of our public administrations. This mandate is more relevant today than ever before. In the first decades of this century, two major crises challenged the role of national governments: the 2008 macroeconomic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The response to the former led to changes in fiscal rules in many countries, seeking greater flexibility, especially in a context of strong economic concentration. As for the latter, the State was called upon to coordinate efforts to combat the disease and mitigate its social and economic impacts. But the challenges did not stop there. In the same context, other crises have affected countries—such as the environmental and climate crisis, the rise in inequalities between individuals and nations, and the intensification of geopolitical competition—producing destabilizing global effects.
Copyright (c) 2025 Esther Dweck https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The necessary transformation for an inclusive, democratic, and effective State
When we talk about the necessary transformation of the State, we cannot think in abstract terms. We must consider a State within a global, regional, and specific context. We are facing a triple planetary crisis. We often speak of climate change, but at the United Nations, we talk not only about climate change but about a planetary crisis — perhaps the most serious threat to humanity — as it includes high pollution levels and the number of premature deaths caused by it, as well as biodiversity loss and the disregard for nature. We are also facing consequences such as high migration rates, internal displacement, food insecurity, and we are in a moment when, in addition, elections are taking place in the United States, the outcome of which remains uncertain.
Copyright (c) 2025 Michelle Bachelet https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Handbook of Public Policy in Latin America, L. Secchi & C. N. Cruz-Rubio (eds.) (2025). A Turning Point in the Study and Analysis of Public Policy in Latin America
Copyright (c) 2025 Joan Subirats https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0