Centralization vs. autonomy: governance tensions in mexican national educational policy institutions

Abstract

This study examines the structural tension between centralization and autonomy in Mexican educational governance, focusing on the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), the dissolved National Institute for Educational Evaluation (INEE), and key organizations such as ANUIES, ECOES, COPAES, and FIMPES. Grounded in a theoretical framework integrating educational governance perspectives (McGinn & Welsh, 2015; Rhodes, 1996) and comparative evidence this paper argues that SEP’s centralized model—while ensuring normative cohesion and equity—constrains pedagogical innovation and contextual and cultural relevance (Zorrilla Fierro, 2023). The 2019 absorption of INEE exemplifies how subordinating technical autonomy to political agendas undermines institutional independence (INEE, 2023; OECD, 2023). In contrast, alternative models demonstrate that voluntary interinstitutional coordination enhances adaptability while maintaining quality standards through horizontal consensus-building (ANUIES, 2024; ECOES, 2019). The analysis incorporates international benchmarks, notably the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), as a model of flexible harmonization, contrasting its success with Mexico’s challenges of fragmentation and weak binding agreements. We propose a hybrid governance framework wherein the state sets core standards while delegating operational autonomy under context-sensitive accountability mechanisms.