Funding Sources: Problem or Solution?

Abstract

Aligned with the goals of the Mexican National Development Plan, the state of Jalisco, one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, is rapidly developing. In order to maintain a proper management of public debt, the government of Jalisco has sought a viable instrument to promote economic growth by generating infrastructure that have a direct impact and that benefit the population. In this paper, Mr Jorge Aristoteles Sandoval Diaz, Governor of the State of Jalisco, describes the significant adjustments that his government implemented aiming at restructuring state finances and strengthening austerity measures in public spending in order to allocate the resources to prioritizing actions for the benefit of the citizens. In particular, he focuses on the local government's commitment to give new impetus to investment in infrastructural projects thanks to the sectoral Program called Movilidad Sustentable (Sustainable Mobility). This Program looks at the interaction of the public transport with the other actors of mobility (pedestrians, cyclists and car drivers) and sets a model for reorganization and improvement. More concretely, the plan for the Extension and Modernization of Light Rail Line 1 of Guadalajara is part of this Program and serves as the case study that Mr Sandoval Diaz uses to explain the idea that public funding can be a trigger for economic development, as long as it is responsibly administered.