Comparative study of local governments in Mexico and Latin America: density and the roads ahead.

The study is divided into two parts. The first part compares the forms of local government in the 18 most populated and largest countries in Latin America. The second part demonstrates, through a spatial analysis exercise, the insufficiency of local governments in Hidalgo (Mexico), based on a relationship established between the densification of local powers and the coverage of public services. It is postulated that it is necessary to reform the regulatory framework in municipal matters, including the constitutional guarantees established in other states that open local spaces for participation, discussion, representation and autonomy with an impact on marginalization.