9/ We dedicate this study to the collective behind the protest movement #YodefiendoalCIDE

6/ López Obrador portrayed CIDE as an elitist institution detached from the people. In his struggle over truth and facts, an institution like CIDE, that generates knowledge and critical views, became an obstacle to a leader seeking direct, unmediated communication with society.

5/ The case of CIDE in Mexico shows how attacks on #AcademicFreedom work. Like many populist leaders, López Obrador sought to control the public narrative and showed disdain for science and other sources of information that could challenge his views.

4/ Countries with leaders who use more populist discourse show a clear, statistically significant drop in academic freedom. Moving from the lowest to the highest level of populism means a decline comparable to going from the UK (2017–18) to Serbia (2004–8) or Ecuador (2000–5).