Thread by @maudussauge

Dear English-speaking friends, many of you have seen me/my colleagues tweeting a lot about CIDE during the past weeks. Apologies for that! But let me briefly explain why that has been the case. The short answer: we are under pressure by the current government!!! #YoDefiendoAlCIDE

As many of you know, CIDE is a public research institute specialized in economy, public administration, international relations, history, political science & law. Despite being a small place, we have built a national/international reputation for high-quality research and teaching

For the past 3 years, both CIDE and the whole scientific/academic community have been portrayed by the president as a bunch of privileged people, who do not care about “the people”. Public funding has been cut. The science agency (CONACYT) has promoted a partisan agenda.

I wrote more about those issues a year ago in this thread:

https://twitter.com/maudussauge/status/1266804190912880643

Sadly since then, things have not improved.

Back in August, after many months of being ignored by the science agency for political reasons, our Director Sergio López Ayllón decided to step down before the end of his term. An interim director, a senior academic from our sister institution El Colegio de México, was appointed

The Interim Director promised to take care of urgent issues, particularly getting approval for regulations needed to use CIDE’s own funds. He could not deliver. Instead, he postponed internal decisions to allegedly wait for a new Director was appointed. He also largely ignored us

Yet he did have time to make controversial/highly irregular decisions. He removed Professor Alejandro Madrazo as head of CIDE’s campus in Aguascalientes when he expressed on a video his support for colleagues who were part of the program formerly known as Cátedras-CONACYT.

The basis for Madrazo’s removal was “loss of confidence”: an old bureaucratic term that allows politicians to get rid of public servants for merely political reasons. Madrazo did nothing wrong, but to state a message that was against the Interim Director’s hidden political agenda

Then two weeks ago, despite having confirmed his attendance, the Interim Director ordered the postponement of our Performance Evaluation sessions (CADIs). These determine promotions (and removals) for faculty members, and had been scheduled (as usual) many months in advance.

Per internal regulations, the so-called CADIs cannot be cancelled or postponed by the Director’s orders, but by a vote of all members (as they are collegiate bodies, including international scholars). They can even proceed without the Director’s presence if there is quorum.

The then Academic Secretary, Professor Catherine Andrews (second highest position in CIDE’s structure), informed the Interim Director that she was legally required to go ahead with the CADIs as there was quorum. The result: she was removed from her post for being “a rebel”.

This clearly irregular and unjustified decision by the Interim Director (which also included the removal of the Head of Evaluation Unit, Céline González), had huge ripple effects within CIDE's community and beyond. We were all surprised, shocked, outraged.

Here is Professor Andrews' detailed explanation:

https://twitter.com/andrews_cath/status/1461552609676910596

The Interim Director also decided to become a candidate for CIDE's leadership. His manifesto was offensive for us all, including things like: CIDE’s research agenda is “neoliberal” (=bad); our graduates are “self-interested”; CIDE should support the government’s political agenda.

During his campaign, he met online with students and called them “sponges”. He told them faculty staff were trying to manipulate them after the removal of Prof Andrews. Students were incensed and decided to do a public demonstration outside the science agency on November 19.

The students’ demonstration (which asked for the interim's removal, freedom of speech, and non-politicized education) was widely reported in the national news. Several supportive statements from all corners followed. They can be found here:

https://twitter.com/maudussauge/status/1463337283390746628

Despite general reputation from students, faculty members, alumni, and outsiders who respect CIDE’s reputation, this Monday 29 the Interim Director was confirmed by the science agency for a 5-years term. Yet, once again, both this outcome and the selection process were disputed.

Because of fear, CIDE’s community did not present an internal candidate. There were only two: the interim director and a politician close to the governing party. Caught between a rock and a hard place. The politician was at least partly receptive to CIDE community's worries.

In stage 1 of the selection process, the politician got higher marks than the interim among CIDE’s community. In stage 2, the result was the opposite. But, strangely enough, the “expert group” that assessed them was composed by friends (even coauthors!!!) of the interim director.

In stage 3, per regulations/precedents, the Director should be confirmed by the vote of CIDE’s assembly (14 institutions). We know there were strong criticisms against the Interim Director. Yet the science agency ignored them, bypassed the rules, and confirmed him without vote.

As a result, our students decided to take CIDE’s premises that same Monday 29. They have not recognized the new Director and ask for his resignation. They have also legally challenged the appointment process and are waiting now for a legal response.

Since Monday, the director removed CIDE’s head of finance. He also gave an interview to a newspaper close to the government to claim the community wants to “dethrone” him to protect its interests. Previously, he has appointed two “researchers”, who have been spying on students.

The other parts of CIDE's community (faculty members and admin personnel) are being supportive of the students’ fight, which is basically our own. We understand we are a public institution, and we are very proud of that. But we do not want to become a politically subservient one.

For many years, CIDE has produced original research on several public issues. Per its legal mandate, CIDE has also advised governments at all levels and from all parties. But this has always been based on data, evidence, independent research. No political purposes/affiliation.

CIDE’s teaching activities/research agendas can easily incorporate (and already do) current social/political debates. Yet they cannot be mandated by a partisan agenda inspired by a populist ideology. Our best way to truly serve the people is by doing our academic work properly.

Today CIDE’s community invited the head of the science agency for a dialogue. It was a no show. Therefore, we have now decided to do another public demonstration this Saturday, to which the country’s whole academic and scientific communities have been invited. Here is the flyer:

So, CIDE is going through very difficult times. But our case is not isolated. As said above, criticisms against scientists and academic institutions, including very recently Mexico’s national university, have been a feature of this government. They will probably continue to be so

We believe México needs “más ciencia, menos obediencia” (more science, less obedience). The fight for saving CIDE is also one for high-quality public education, research with no political agendas, freedom of speech. Mexico’s intellectual/academic/scientific future is at stake...