The New Public Works Policy as a Means of Development
| DOI | 10.1177/002085237404000116 |
| Date | 01 March 1974 |
| Published date | 01 March 1974 |
| Author | L.E. Bracamontes |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
v
ments.
The
most
appropriate
policy
has
to
be
determined
from
the
outset.
2.
Substantial
improvement
in
the
collection
of
rates
and
taxes.
In
the
last
three
years
important
changes
have
been
made
for
that
purpose,
but
without
the
amounts
collected
yet
reaching
the
required
level.
Better
solu-
tions
are
still
being
sought,
and
the
charges
made
by
public
services
or
enterprises
are
being
reviewed.
3.
Improvement
of
the
administrative
ma-
chinery,
which
also
involves
a
change
of
mental-
ity
among
the
personnel.
This
implies
various
kinds
of
efforts.
4.
A
greater
degree
of
decentralization
and
deconcentration
for
the
usual
purpose
of
bring-
ing
the administration
closer
to
the
citizen,
while
developing
coordination.
Nine
regional
taxation
offices,
whose
areas
have
been
de-
limited
according
to
the
amount
to
be
col-
lected,
communications,
etc.,
are
being
opened.
Two
are
already
at
work,
six
will
start
in
1974,
and
the
ninth
in
1975.
Coordination
with
the
states
of
the
federation
has
also
been
developed
for
the
purpose
of
standardization,
particularly
in
the
taxing
of
commercial
trans-
actions,
which
represents
the
main
source
of
income.
Efforts
remain
to
be
made
in
con-
nection
with
the
distribution
of
the
receipts
among
the
federation,
the
states,
and
the
local
communities
and
the
introduction
of
general
reforms
on
the
state
and
municipality
levels
in
a
spirit
of
cooperation.
5.
The
establishment
of
new
systems
of
collection
and
improvement
of
procedure,
parti-
cularly
through
computerization.
This
will
make
it
possible
to
undertake
new
tasks,
and
that,
contrary
to
what
might
be
expected,
without
reducing
staff.
It
will
ensure
a
more
accurate
identification
of
the
taxpayers
and
more
effective
collection.
6.
More
effective
arrangements
to
combat
tax
evasion
but
also
better
service
and
inform-
ation
for
taxpayers.
7.
Constant
revision
with
a
view
to
perm-
anent
adjustment
of
objectives,
tasks,
and
poli-
cies.
In
short,
much
has
been
done,
but
much
remains
to
be
done.
Sustained
and
constant
efforts
are
essential
to
achieve
greater
justice,
a
higher
standard
of
living
for
the
masses,
a
development
whose
benefits
will
be
shared
by
all,
and
a
faster
rate
of
progress.
The
New
Public
Works
Policy
as
a
Means
of
Development
L.
E.
BRACAMONTES
A
suitable
public
works
policy
is
a
powerful
instrument
of
development
and
of
economic
and
social
progress.
This
has
long
been
recognized
but
the
application
of
the
principle
is
gaining
increasing
importance,
particularly
in
the
developing
countries
whose
infrastructure
obviously
still leaves
much
to
be
desired.
The
result
is
the
discontinuation
of
a
policy
exclu-
sively
based
on
costly
achievements
for
the
sake
of
prestige,
intended
to
glorify
a
political
system
in
foreign
eyes
while
disguising
the
actual
conditions
in
the
country,
so
as
to
give
way
to
a
policy
which
turns
public
works
into
a
means
for
achieving
a
faster
and
more
evenly
distributed
economic
and
social
development.
This
policy
was
instituted
in
Mexico
just
after
the
1910-1917
Revolution
and
its
task
is
to
provide &dquo;
a
road
and
a
school &dquo;
every-
where
in
the
country.
It
was
a
vast
and
difficult
task
because
delays
were
considerable
and
the
means
were
limited
or
even
very
slender.
The
principal
question
was
where
to
find
the
funds.
It
was
useless
to
rely
on
the
rates
and
taxes
of that
time,
and
other
methods
had
to
be
tried
to
find
the
essential
means.
This
involved
nationalizing
the
natural
resour-
ces,
giving
back
to
the
peasants
the
land
that
had
been
monopolized
by
the
big
landowners
and
making
it
produce
as
much
as
possible,
and
providing
the
best
possible
conditions
of
work
to
wage-earners
so
that
development
should
afford
them
greater
opportunities.
Of
all
the
amounts
expended
by
the
public
sector
since
1910
with
a
view
to
economic and
social
development,
it
may
be
noted
that
the
first
place
is
occupied
by
the
amounts
spent
on
communications
and
transport,
and
that
one-third
of
them
have
been
taken
up
by
building,
maintenance,
and
modernization.
The
sacrifices
made
have
not
been
in
vain,
and
the
promise
that
there
should
be
a
school
in
each
rural
community
has
largely
been
kept,
though
the
highway
policy
has
been
less
suc-
cessful.
Admittedly,
some
45,000
miles
of
main
roads
have
been
built,
but
until
1968
very
little
was
done
to
provide
local
roads,
so
that
the
lack
of
communications
among
,
rural
areas
is
still
an
obstacle
to
the
spread
~
of
education
and
of
the
various
economic
and
!
social
services.
Efforts
are
therefore
being
~
concentrated
in
that
direction.
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