Social Development Index in Mexico City Used as a Tool for Social and Political Focalization

Abstract

The social development index is used in this paper as a guide to implement social development policies in Mexico City. Thus, regional identification of primary needs (housing, education, healthcare and social security, sanitation services, power supply, and imperishable goods) is a tool to carry out governmental programs and actions. The social development index in Mexico City is measured according to the method of unmet needs, with emphasis on people‟s shortages. It allows the identification of people‟s needs within a block, settlement, or local administration. The data available for 2005, 2010, and 2015 revealed intertemporal advances at an aggregated level, or for each of the components. Moreover, the results shown in the maps, contributed to shortage analysis, according to the disaggregation level selected. More recent results (2015) indicated a rise in aggregated levels of social development in Mexico City. However, this index can be improved through additional dimensions.