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| CIDAC | |
|---|---|
| Name | CIDAC |
| Native name | Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo A.C. |
| Type | Nonprofit think tank |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Mexico City |
| Location | Mexico |
| Focus | Public policy, Mexican politics, economic policy, social policy |
CIDAC
The Centro de Investigación para el Desarrollo A.C. (CIDAC) is a Mexican policy research institute founded in 1982 that has engaged in public policy analysis across Mexico City, Mexico federal structures, and Latin American networks. The institute has produced studies on taxation, trade, electoral processes, and institutional reform while interacting with Mexican administrations, international organizations, and academic centers. CIDAC’s work has been cited in debates involving the Congress of the Union, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, regional development agencies, and private sector associations.
CIDAC was established amid post-1980s policy debates following economic liberalization driven by leaders such as Miguel de la Madrid and Carlos Salinas de Gortari and the negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Early outputs responded to structural adjustments, debt crises, and privatization episodes during the administrations of Luis Echeverría and later presidents. Throughout the 1990s CIDAC expanded research on electoral reform in the wake of controversies involving the Federal Electoral Institute and the contested 1988 and 1994 electoral cycles that engaged actors like Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas and Ernesto Zedillo. In the 2000s the institute contributed analyses amid transitions to administrations such as Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón, addressing security policies related to the Mexican Drug War and fiscal reforms supported by the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit. CIDAC’s recent history includes interaction with contemporary presidencies, legislative sessions of the Chamber of Deputies (Mexico), and debates over energy reform under measures connected to the Federal Electricity Commission and energy policy shifts.
CIDAC’s stated mission emphasizes evidence-based analysis to influence public decision-making in areas such as taxation, regulatory frameworks, and institutional quality. Activities include producing policy briefs for members of the Senate of the Republic (Mexico), organizing seminars with scholars from institutions like the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the London School of Economics, and convening dialogues with representatives from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and corporate chambers such as the Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic. CIDAC runs capacity-building workshops for civil servants, provides testimony before legislative commissions during sessions on fiscal federalism and anti-corruption measures, and participates in coalitions with nongovernmental organizations including regional NGOs focused on transparency and rule-of-law issues tied to the United Nations Development Programme.
CIDAC is governed by a board of directors and an executive director responsible for research strategy, fundraising, and outreach. The institute’s internal divisions typically include teams dedicated to fiscal policy, regulatory reform, energy and infrastructure, and democratic governance. Researchers often hold joint affiliations with foreign and domestic institutions such as Harvard University, the University of Oxford, the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, and the El Colegio de México. CIDAC hosts visiting fellows, postgraduate researchers, and interns drawn from programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and regional universities, while coordinating advisory councils composed of former public officials, private sector leaders, and academics.
CIDAC publishes working papers, policy memoranda, and longer reports that analyze reform pathways for topics like tax code modernization, competition policy relating to monopolies and the Federal Telecommunications Institute, and governance indicators tied to anti-corruption mechanisms. Publications have examined case studies involving state-owned enterprises such as the Petróleos Mexicanos and sectoral reforms affecting the Secretariat of Energy (Mexico). The institute’s outputs often cite empirical datasets from national sources including the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, microdata from electoral authorities, and comparative metrics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. CIDAC also produces op-eds in national outlets, technical notes for multilateral partners, and collaborative volumes with academic presses that feature contributors from institutions like the Brookings Institution and the Council on Foreign Relations.
CIDAC’s funding model combines grants, private donations, and project-based contracts with foundations and multilateral agencies. Partners and donors have included philanthropic organizations, corporate sponsors, and international development entities such as the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the European Union delegation in Mexico. Collaborative research projects have been implemented with universities and policy centers including the Johns Hopkins University and regional think tanks across Latin America, along with programmatic links to bilateral cooperation offices from countries such as the United States and Spain. Financial transparency practices have varied across reporting cycles, with CIDAC publishing summaries of funding streams and partner acknowledgements in program reports.
CIDAC’s analyses have informed legislative debates on fiscal and regulatory reform, contributed to media discussions involving outlets that cover public affairs, and supported administrative adjustments in procurement and transparency frameworks. Supporters cite its role in producing actionable proposals and fostering policy networks with decision-makers in the Executive Branch of Mexico. Critics have challenged specific recommendations for market-oriented reforms, arguing that policy prescriptions echoed private-sector priorities and that donor relationships may shape research agendas. Other critiques reference contested assessments of state enterprises and dispute projections tied to energy and competition policies, while scholars from institutions like El Colegio de la Frontera Norte and activists linked to civil society coalitions have called for broader participatory approaches and greater methodological disclosure.
Category:Think tanks in Mexico