2018 Mexican States Rule of Law Index: Press Release

THE WORLD JUSTICE PROJECT RELEASES MEXICAN STATES RULE OF LAW INDEX 2018

Yucatán is on top of the ranking and Guerrero on the bottom.

• The scores were calculated with a poll responded to by more than 25,000 citizens, questionnaires answered by more than 1,500 experts, and third-party sources.
• Corruption, security, and justice are topics that require urgent consideration.
• Yucatán, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas lead the ranking; Guerrero, Baja California Sur, and Estado de México are at the bottom.

Mexico City (09 October 2018) – Today, the World Justice Project (WJP) presented the Mexican States Rule of Law Index 2018, which ranks the 32 states of the country according to their adherence to the rule of law. The Index provides scores for 42 performance indicators, grouped into eight factors, which were calculated from a poll responded to by more than 25,000 citizens, questionnaires answered by more than 1,500 experts throughout the country, and third-party sources. The eight factors represent different aspects of the rule of law: (1) Constraints on Government Powers, (2) Absence of Corruption, (3) Open Government, (4) Fundamental Rights, (5) Order & Security, (6) Regulatory Enforcement, (7) Civil Justice, and (8) Criminal Justice.

The study shows that no states obtained a score above 0.5 in a scale from 0 to 1, with 1 indicating the strongest adherence to the rule of law. Yucatán had the highest score, followed by Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. In contrast, Guerrero, Baja California, and Estado de México had the lowest scores. 

During the presentation in the Museo Memoria y Tolerancia in Mexico City, WJP’s researchers explained that, despite the low scores, there were states with noteworthy results. That is the case of Yucatán in regards to security, Guanajuato in regards to control of corruption, and Querétaro and Zacatecas in regards to control of corruption and justice system performance.

“A weak rule of law has a negative impact on the lives of citizens. Today, Mexico is in a unique situation to enhance its institutions and ensure that laws are complied with. The WJP is committed to helping strengthen the rule of law in Mexico and will accompany this process through the release of analysis, evaluation and monitoring tools. The Mexican States Rule of Law Index is the first step in this regard,” said Alejandro Ponce, chief research officer.

“We hope that this report will be used to set reference points on states’ performance regarding the rule of law, as well as inform and direct reforms, and identify successful local models that can be used to strengthen institutions in other regions of the country,” he added.

During the last decade, the WJP has applied surveys in more than 100 countries to measure, from a citizen perspective, their adherence to the rule of law. The WJP's Rule of Law Index has become a leading tool around the world to help identify the countries’ institutional strengths and weaknesses and promote evidence-based decision making.

Participants of the report launch were Mariclaire Acosta, president of the Citizen Participation Committee of the National Anticorruption System, researcher Ana Laura Magaloni, WJP researcher Layda Negrete, researcher Clemente Romero, and the journalist Carlos Puig. The complete report of the Mexican States Rule of Law Index 2018, including state profiles, infographics, explainer videos, methodology, and download options, as well as an interactive microsite with state-level data, is available at: index.worldjusticeproject.mx.

ABOUT THE WORLD JUSTICE PROJECT:
The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to advance the rule of law worldwide. Effective rule of law reduces corruption, combats poverty and disease, and protects people from injustices large and small. It is the foundation for communities of equity, opportunity, and peace—underpinning development, accountable government, and respect for fundamental rights. For more information about our work, visit: worldjusticeproject.org and index.worldjusticeproject.mx.

MEDIA CONTACT & INTERVIEW REQUESTS:
Mario Rodríguez
mrodriguez@worldjusticeproject.org
T: @TheWJP_mx