Wednesday 20 June 2007
9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.
Room G, OECD Headquarters

2 rue André Pascal, 75016 Paris

On 20 June 2007, the OECD Development Centre and the office of the OECD Secretary-General hosted the presentation in Paris of the World Bank Institutional and Governance Report Democratic Governance in Mexico: Beyond State Capture and Social Polarization (download the report in pdf format).

Roby Senderowitsch and Yasuhiko Matsuda, senior specialists at the World Bank and coordinators of the report, presented the main conclusions of their research, following an introduction by OECD Secretary-General, Angel Gurría. Senior OECD staff members Gabriela Ramos (Deputy Chief of Staff of the Secretary General), Josef Konvitz (Head of Regulatory Policy Division at the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate) and Javier Santiso (Chief Development Economist and Deputy Director at the OECD Development Centre) offered their comments on the report.

The World Bank Institutional and Governance Report on Democratic Governance in Mexico highlights the country's priorities for reform in its ongoing transition to a fully multi-party democratic system. According to the document, Mexico needs to reduce the growing social polarization and overcome sociopolitical obstacles to move forward and reach an effective democratic governance. OECD commentators stressed the role that regulatory reforms, political accountability and fiscal policy and legitimacy can play at helping improve Mexico's democratic governance.