Abstract:
According to a World Bank report written in 2001, "in a modern, globally integrated Mexican economy, it is hard to argue for the continued existence of an institution such as INFONAVIT." The report went on to argue that the first-best option was "closing INFONAVIT." In the same year Victor Borras and a new team of managers took control of INFONAVIT under the new PAN government of Vicente Fox. In 2005 the fund issued 376,444 mortgage loans, one and a half times the number issued by INFONAVIT in 2000. During this same period of expansion INFONAVIT had: reduced its defaulted loan rate from 21.7 percent in 2000 to 6.6 percent in 2005; increased its productivity from 51 loans granted per employee to 98 per employee through outsourcing and the modernization and streamlining of operations; launched a new vivienda economica (affordable housing) program to target the majority of its members who earned less than four times the minimum wage (TMW); helped jump-start a nascent housing development industry; increased the real return to the pensioners' funds from 2 percent to 3.5 percent per year; and issued approximately $4.5 billion in mortgage-backed bonds.
Learning Objective:
The case can be used to teach about government innovation, privatization, strategic management, and the public provision of financial services. It would also be appropriate for a course in international development or international housing. It raises questions about the appropriate role of government in the provision of financial services, as well as the role outsourcing and privatization can play in promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of public services.
