Administrative Reform
| Author | A. Carrillo Castro |
| Published date | 01 March 1974 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002085237404000120 |
| Date | 01 March 1974 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
ix
1970
extended
this
control
to
more
than
600
institutions.
The
Secretariat
of
National
Property
is
associated
in
the
preparation
of
their
budgets
so
that
the
latter
clearly
define
their
objectives
and
programmes
in
keeping
with
the
essential
human
and
material
means.
It
is
thus
in
a
position
to
check
whether
the
programmes
are
consistent
with
the
national
policy,
is
able
to
take
coordinating
action,
and
can
control
the
implementation
of
the
programmes
authorized.
With
the
help
of
this
machinery,
the
Govern-
ment
has
available
the
necessary
information
to
coordinate
the
programmes,
ensure
that
they
comply
with
the
guidelines
it
has
laid
down,
make
any
necessary
adjustments
in
the
course
of
implementation,
and,
in
short,
exercise
an
effective
control
without
encroaching
on
the
technical
and
administrative
autonomy
of the
agencies
concerned.
There
are,
of
course,
more
specific
controls,
such
as
those
applied
to
payments,
the
in-
spection
of
purchases
and
supplies,
contracts,
and
public
works.
The
new
Inspection
of
Acquisitions
Act,
1972,
stresses
the
economic
nature
of
the
control
which
must
ensure
the
best
possible
use
of
public
funds
in
relation
to
price,
quality,
and
expediency.
It
imposes
an
obligation
on
all
agencies
in
the
public
sector
to
establish
a
yearly
programme
of
acqui-
sitions.
In
various
cases,
Purchase
Committees,
for
ensuring
that
the
principles
are
observed,
have
been
set
up
in
the
organs
concerned.
A
special
control
has
moreover
been
organized
in
the
field
of
public
works.
If
the
current
trend
is
examined
in
the
light
of
recent
legislation,
it
may
be
observed
that
the
present regime
has
appreciably
extend-
ed
the
controls
and
introduced
new
instruments,
so
that
the
exercise
of
control
functions
may
be
more
effective
and
better
coordinated
with
the
economic
and
social
policy.
The
efforts
made
in
that
direction
are
to
be
continued
in
order
further
to
improve
the
control
machinery.
Administrative
Reform
A.
CARRILLO
CASTRO
As
in
most
countries,
administrative
reform
in
Mexico
has
a
fairly
long
history
marked
by
expectations
and
disappointments,
but
also
by
achievements.
At
the
same
time,
conditions
have
been
changing,
since
it
is
quite
obvious
that
there
is
nothing
in
common
between
the
administration
of
the
nineteenth
century
and
that
of
today.
What
is
chiefly
shown
by
the
Mexican
experience,
which
is
not
un-
usual,
is
the
gradual
transition
from
sporadic
and
dispersed
reform
efforts
to
a
more
system-
atic
and,
in
any
case,
permanent
endeavour.
Little
by
little,
and
especially
during
the
last
decade,
the
reform
has
assumed
new
features,
chiefly
since
the
establishment,
in
1965,
of
the
Public
Administration
Commission,
attach-
ed
to
the
Secretariat
of
the
Presidency
and
more
specially
entrusted
with
the
preparation
and
introduction
of
the
changes.
The
Commission
devoted
its
first
two
years
of
existence
to
studies that
led
to
the
formula-
tion
and
publication
of
a
diagnosis
which
led
to
recommendations.
From
1968
to
1970,
with
the
help
of
a
Technical
Secretariat
which
it
established
in
order
to
become
more
operational,
it
carried
out
reform
studies
and
projects
related
to
various
subjects.
Since
it
was
considered
impossible
for
a
single
central
agency
to
solve
all
the
problems
involved
in
comprehensive
administrative
reform,
an
at-
tempt
was
made
to
set
up
0
&
M
units
in
each
dependency
to
make
analyses
and
to
advise
the
officials
responsible
as
to
the
carry-
ing
out
of
improvements.
The
system
was
not
as
successful
as
has
been
expected,
and
some-
thing
else
was
required.
Fresh
impetus
was
given
to
the
reform
in
1971
by
the
present
President
of
the
Republic
and
its
organization
was
altered
by
the
establishment
of
a
Bureau
of
Administrative
Studies,
which
replaced
the
Public
Administration
Commission,
and
of
a
Bureau
for
the
Coordination
of
Economic
and
Social
Programming.
The
change
was
in
keep-
ing
with
a
new
line
of
thought
according
to
which
action
should
be
taken
on
the
macro
and
micro-administrative
levels
with
a
view
to
wider
objectives
incorporated
in
an
overall
programme,
after
analyses
have
been
made
covering
the
entire
administration
by
sector
of
activity
(e.g.
health,
communications)
and
by
support
system
(e.g.
budget,
statistics,
per-
sonnel).
The
result
was
an
overall
plan,
whose
main
lines
and
progress
will
here
be
described.
Purposes
and
objectives
The
reform
is
viewed
as
a
permanent
and
systematic
effort
to
adapt
the
entire
public
sector
to
the
requirements.
It
aims
at :
in-
creasing
effectiveness
and
efficiency;
assigning
responsibilities;
simplifying,
speeding
up,
and
decentralizing;
ensuring
that
government
per-
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