The relationships that make democracy work: a proposal for relational analysis for citizen councils in Mexico

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32870/rc.vi8.179

Keywords:

review

Abstract

Citizen Participation, Democratic Innovations, and Their Limitations
In the contemporary context of Latin American democracies, mechanisms for citizen participation have proliferated without necessarily guaranteeing better results. Since the late 20th century, many governments have undertaken participatory policies both in response to social demands and as part of administrative modernization strategies. Among the various mechanisms, such as participatory budgeting, citizen consultations, and social oversight bodies, citizen councils (CCs) have become the most common form of government in local administrations, due to their scale and proximity to the citizenry. In Mexico, 60% of the 140 municipalities with regulations on citizen participation formalize CCs (p. 16), reflecting their institutional entrenchment...

Author Biography

María Azucena Salcido Ledezma, El Colegio de Jalisco, México.

She currently works as a professor and researcher at El Colegio de Jalisco, where she is part of the research group on Human Rights, Security, and Justice. Her career is distinguished by:
Specialization: Expertise in policy co-creation, Open Government, and the National Anti-Corruption System.
Distinctions: Recognized as a Candidate Researcher by the National System of Researchers (SNII) of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conahcyt).
Technical Experience: She has over 15 years of experience in the public sector, focused on planning, evaluation, and accountability.

References

Téllez Arana, Luis (2025). Redes de relaciones detrás de la participación ciudadana.

Propuesta de análisis para los consejos ciudadanos en México. Guadalajara: Universidad de

Guadalajara (Centro Universitario de Tonalá). ISBN: 978-607-581-689-0

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Published

2026-07-02

How to Cite

Salcido Ledezma, M. A. (2026). The relationships that make democracy work: a proposal for relational analysis for citizen councils in Mexico. RC RENDICION DE CUENTAS, (8). https://doi.org/10.32870/rc.vi8.179

Issue

No. 8 (2026): July-December 2026

Section

Reseñas

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