¿Cuánto cuesta vigilar al gobierno federal?[How much it costs monitoring the federal government?]

The cost of making sure that government performance follows the principles of liberal democracy must include not only the costs associated with voting and political parties, but also the cost of those institutions that, in a slow but continuous process, have been built to compel the Mexican government to represent social demands, to respect basic human rights, and to prevent abuses of power. This paper presents a preliminary diagnosis of the budgetary cost of the institutions in charge of promoting governmental accountability in Mexico. The text provides a detailed analysis of the components and the evolution of these costs during the last years. In addition, we also provide evidence to assess the budgetary transparency of those institutions. Our central argument is that the Mexican State has invested significant amounts of public money in making sure that the government abides to the rule of law, respects human rights and liberties, and promotes good budgetary practices. Nevertheless, we also identify some sources of concern regarding budgetary transparency and the lack of effectiveness indicators. Moreover, we explain how public expenditure in this area continues to be subject to political pressures, which generate uncertainty and instability in these institutions.