Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Insecurity has been an issue of prime importance in Mexico City during the last decades. In order to reduce the incidence of crime, left-wing governments, the only force in power since 1997, have implemented different strategies, among them the renewal of police leadership, the establishment of new coordination and control mechanisms, the territorial reconfiguration of the city and use of technology to improve its surveillance. The effects of these measures have been ambivalent: although insecurity declined during a period it returned to its critical state in recent times. The paper presents the first results of an ongoing investigation that is centered on the analysis of public security from a public action perspective. The research contrasts an institutionalist vision with a systemic one. Taking as a point of reference the police organization, it focuses its attention on the administrative reforms and policy instruments applied during the period of study and contrasts them with the practices and actions of the different actors involved in this sector. Based on a documentary analysis and the application of semi-directives interviews, the first results point to a complex system where corrupt practices coexist with mechanisms that ensure a minimum governance.