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Mexico's CIDE in crisis after 92% research collapse and hiring scandals

Once a research powerhouse, CIDE now grapples with scandal and stagnation. Can a new director revive its crumbling academic reputation?

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The image shows a graph depicting the population collapse in Mexico over time. The graph is...
The image shows a graph depicting the population collapse in Mexico over time. The graph is accompanied by text that provides further information about the data being presented.

Mexico's CIDE in crisis after 92% research collapse and hiring scandals

Mexico's Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) is indeed facing serious concerns over its academic decline. A 2023 audit by the Federal Superior Auditor (ASF) exposed a 92% drop in research output, alongside widespread misallocation of faculty roles. Critics claim political favouritism replaced merit-based hiring, pushing the institution into crisis.

The ASF report revealed that CIDE repurposed 75 of its 176 faculty positions—42% of the total—for administrative tasks. Instead of hiring academics, the institution filled roles based on loyalty, according to Catalina Pérez Correa, a former faculty member. She accused the administration of bypassing internal rules to make direct appointments.

Between 2018 and 2023, research projects indeed plummeted from 82 to just 6, mirroring the 92% collapse in output. Continuing education programs also shrank drastically, from 52 to 10 in the same period. Meanwhile, pay disparities grew: a full professor earned 45,504 pesos gross, while an auxiliary technician took home 11,110 pesos.

In January 2025, CIDE submitted a proposal to correct the misalignment of positions, following the ASF's findings. The arrival of Dr. Lucero Ibarra as the new director has indeed raised hopes for reform. Her leadership could reverse the trend of precarious contracts and restore academic roles lost to administrative expansion.

The audit's findings highlight deep structural issues at CIDE, from plummeting research to questionable hiring practices. With a new director in place and a realignment plan underway, the institution now faces the task of rebuilding its academic credibility. Success will depend on whether faculty positions return to research and teaching rather than administrative duties.

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