AMLO’s Mega Projects Fail to Spur Southeast Mexico Prosperity

The civil group "Mexico, how are we doing?" recently released the Social Progress Index 2024, revealing little improvement for Mexico's impoverished population and states affected by ongoing violence. The report indicates that 44% of Mexico's population resides in low-income states, meaning that four out of every ten Mexicans live in conditions of relative poverty. Despite significant investments by López Obrador's government in flagship projects such as the Maya Train, the Dos Bocas oil company, and other infrastructure initiatives, Southeast Mexico (Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Oaxaca) continues to lag in terms of family welfare and lifestyle improvements.

The researchers who presented this study emphasized that the government has been unsuccessful in providing basic services like health, education, and public safety, leaving Mexican families to shoulder these costs. "The social progress map doesn't surprise us. The southeast is static and considerably lagging", said Sofía Ramírez Aguilar, a member of the organization conducting the study. "From 2015 to 2023, we have advanced five points out of a hundred. As you can see, there is a significant lag in the southeast region", she added.

Aguilar pointed out that the study's findings highlight a failure by the State to guarantee fundamental rights such as education, health, and security, instead passing these costs onto families. This not only places a heavy financial burden on families striving to improve their circumstances, but also means they are essentially self-funding societal progress through their income and wages. "Families themselves cover the cost of these services out of pocket. It's a subsidy they allocate to their needs to prosper when health, education, and security services should be provided by the State", Aguilar emphasized.

The Social Progress Index 2024 was presented by a group of specialists, including Sofía Ramirez, Mariana Campos from the organization Mexico Evaluates; Axel Eduardo Gonzalez, Adriana Garcia, Alexandra Haas and journalist Javier Risco, who moderated the virtual event. Their study is based on 49 social indicators that identify the basic dimensions of the services the State should provide to improve the quality of life of Mexican families. However, the study found that the government is neglecting preventative health, education is suffering due to reduced resources for teacher training, violence is deterring potential investment, and monetary transfers from programs are not benefiting families. "The government has delegated health, education, security, and housing expenses to Mexican families", highlighted Mariana Campos.

In terms of attracting investment, the study found that investors are drawn to states or cities with high social progress, energy services, and financial services. These areas typically offer a better quality of life, a skilled workforce, and well-developed ports. However, only 8 states, primarily in the north and center of Mexico, meet these criteria, leading businesses to concentrate their operations in these regions. In contrast, 10 low-income states in the southeast are significantly lagging behind. Guerrero is consistently ranked last in all studies on social progress, a fact that the report described as tragic.

The study observed that low-income states initially experienced growth in 2015 with the arrival of the new government, but have since retracted.