Saturday, March 17, 2012

Incentives in Mexico, Parking Edition

Alejandro Hope had a post earlier this week about parking in Polanco, and how it has changed thanks to the replacement of the red-rag men with parking meters, which included this passage:
Los parquímetros arrojan una lección: los mexicanos no somos marcianos. Respondemos a incentivos, siempre y cuando esos incentivos estén diseñados correctamente. Y eso vale igual para conductores que para delincuentes.
I can't emphasize strongly enough how much I support this sentiment. Let me try again: I can't emphasize strongly enough how much I support this sentiment. Far too often, this point is absent in analysis of Mexico and Latin America in general, whether the issue is public security, structural reforms, or parking.

1 comment:

Ray said...

That is an excellent article. Mexican drivers who cross the border don't continue to drive as if they were in Mexico. It's not a character transformation. It's just that they know there may be consequences to passing on the shoulder.