ABSTRACT
The size and complexity of large infrastructure projects pose challenges for public policy in democratic regimes under constant transformation. These are the cases of Mexico and other Latin American countries. Tensions inevitably arise between technical arguments, democracy, and socio-environmental justice, as well as between the participation of different governmental and non-governmental actors, together with a wide margin for discretionary decisions on behalf of the executive power. In this respect, this work presents a short review of how infrastructure and development projects have been dealt with in the region, including the example of MORENA in Mexico and its emblematic projects. We argue that infrastructure planning has not come with new practices and public policy values but rather with a strong inclination towards technopopulism, states of exception, and the blocking of a broader debate in this policy area.
