Barriers and opportunities to incorporate scientific evidence into air quality management in Mexico: A stakeholders’ perspective

Air pollution is among the most pressing environmental issues worldwide. Unfortunately, an effective reduction in air pollution remains elusive, and so does the incorporation of scientific evidence into air quality policies. This paper takes seven Mexican cities as study cases to document barriers and opportunities to incorporate scientific evidence into air quality policies. Supported by the Grounded Theory approach, we conduct and analyze interviews to decision-makers, researchers, and representatives of non-governmental organizations involved in programs aiming to improve air quality in Mexico. Findings from this study illustrate differences across cities in the technical capacity to produce evidence, and document barriers shared to incorporate evidence into air quality management – including institutional capacity, interest groups, legal frameworks, and limited knowledge transfer. Opportunities that increase integration of evidence into air quality policies include follow-up programs, guaranteed research funding, contextualizing the topics to be investigated as a public problem, and assigning a crucial role to research so that formal and informal links among decision-makers and scientists are formed and strengthened. •Effective incorporation of evidence in air quality management is still a challenge.•Analysis of the stakeholder’s perspective, barriers, and enablers to increase the role of evidence was carried out.•Deficiencies in institutional capacity, limited regulatory framework, particular values, and interests are crucial barriers.•Participatory monitoring, meeting places, follow-up programs, and research networks are enablers to increase evidence use.