Can the Economic Development Poles for Well-Being Transform Investment into Regional Development?
August 2026
Can the Economic Development Poles for Well-Being Transform Investment into Regional Development?
Since the beginning of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, accelerating economic growth and attracting greater investment have been priorities on the national agenda. The Plan Mexico has been the cornerstone of the federal government’s economic strategy, along with the Economic Development Poles for Well-being (PODECOBI).
Although PODECOBI are instruments designed to attract investment, doubts remain about whether they will be able to become engines of regional development, or whether they will only attract companies to specific regions with a limited impact.
On this issue, a study published this month by economists Mariana Mazzucato and Lara Merling points to several factors that could determine whether the strategy succeeds in translating investment into productive growth and regional development.