The Director of Tec de Monterrey’s Center for the Future of Cities has faith in Mexicans’ solidarity, joint responsibility, empathy and unity to overcome the challenges the country is currently facing.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

The Mexico of today faces several challenges but has the wherewithal to overcome them, considered Enrique de la Madrid, Director of the Center for the Future of Cities of Tecnológico de Monterrey.

In his conference “Mexico before the world and its conjuncture: What are we Mexicans going to do?”, the ex-Minister for Tourism, political analyst and speaker talked about the digital economy, the five crises that, in his opinion, Mexico is facing, and the need to build a more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable country for everyone.

De la Madrid said that today, beyond the constant changes, we are experiencing a profound change of era, marked largely by a collaboration-based economy.

“Platforms such as Facebook, which does not produce content; Airbnb, which does not own accommodation; or Uber, which does not have any vehicles or its own drivers, have grown exponentially, capitalizing on the work of others and collaborating with them,” he commented.

The speaker explained to Executive Education program participants and community members of EGADE Business School, Guadalajara, that the arrival of the pandemic accelerated digitalization.

“E-commerce, telework, telemedicine, and online education have all grown exponentially. Many people have been using digital processes with which they were previously unfamiliar,” he commented.

In this global context, he explained, the Mexico of today is facing five crises:

• A profound economic crisis: “In 2020, the economy suffered an annual contraction of 8.3%.”
• A social crisis that translates into greater poverty: “During the pandemic, the population who cannot afford the basic food basket grew from 36 to 45 percent.”
• A health crisis: “There have been 1.7 million cases of COVID-19 in Mexico and 150 thousand deaths, according to official reports, although the latter figure is estimated to be closer to 500 thousand.”
• A crisis in public security and rule of law: “The presence of the military has doubled, but so has the number of homicides. And Mexico is ranked 104th out of 128 countries in the World Justice Project Global Rule of Law Index 2020.”
• A governance crisis: “The federal government and many local governments have different visions. There is a lack of proper coordination between citizens and the government.”

According to De la Madrid, Mexico can overcome its challenges on the basis of its macroeconomic stability and entry into the global economy, as well as its demographic dividend, geographic position, and energy resources.

To achieve this, he said, Mexicans need to define a course towards the construction of a more inclusive, sustainable country that makes better use of technological progress.

“The only way out of this is through solidarity, joint responsibility, empathy, and unity. Without the minimum consensus, we’re doomed to failure. We must defend the values in which we believe, such as democracy, freedom, inclusion, and the search for truth,” he stated.

The complete conference given by De la Madrid can be viewed here.