Approximately 170 people attended the book launch by the former mayor of Buenos Aires. The event was moderated by Celina Cantú, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law and Director of the Master's Program in Public Policy.

Former Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta presented his proposal on Wednesday morning, March 12th, at the School of Government of the Universidad Austral his new book “The Method: How to Make Things Happen. A Management Manual for Governments,” published by MAD – Movement for Development, with a speech in which he spoke about the importance of rebuilding trust between politics and society with "concrete acts" of government, as well as establishing processes of dialogue and consensus with all sectors.

“For 16 years I dedicated my entire life, with unwavering commitment and dedication, to the City of Buenos Aires, and I am pleased to be able to share that. Nothing is copyable, but it is adaptable,” Rodríguez Larreta stated to a packed auditorium at the University's Buenos Aires campus, in an interview with Celina Cantú , Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law and Director of the Master's Program in Public Policy.

In the presentation, the director of the School of Government, Alfonso Santiago , highlighted the “enormous transformation” of the City of Buenos Aires during the 8 years of Rodríguez Larreta as head of Government and proposed “taking advantage of his science and experience” contained in the book.

“Academics explain how things happen, bad officials explain why things don’t happen and always have some excuse, there are others who watch it happen and have a passive attitude. Finally, there are the people who make things happen, and Horacio is in that last category,” Santiago stated.

Cantú then stated: “The book is not just a manual, but a method, with a work culture, that transmits experiences, practices and suggestions in line with this challenge, which speaks of leadership, consensus politics, professionalization and the value of public service.”

“It’s a book that conveys a successful experience in terms of making things happen. Horacio is the leader of a very valuable transformation in the city, where he was for 16 years, first as Chief of Staff and then for two terms as head of government,” he added.

In his speech, Rodríguez Larreta emphasized that to rebuild trust between society and politics, the key is to "execute," to deliver on campaign promises. "The famous narratives can generate optimism and expectations, but what will build trust are the facts. The level of public distrust is understandable because this hasn't been the case for many decades," he insisted.

The former head of government—who recently publicly expressed his intention to be a candidate in this year's legislative elections—recounted his experience governing the city: “Government flies by, the day you lost today at the end of your term cannot be stretched out, time is worth gold, that's why you have to build a vision and a plan at the same time.” 

Defining priorities, establishing dialogue processes with all sectors of politics, generating a broad consensus, and having the discipline to comply with the method were other premises that Rodriguez Larreta highlighted for managing correctly.

As an example, the Buenos Aires mayor cited the creation of the city's police force: “It was approved in the Legislature with 58 of the 60 votes present. It took time, but it was never debated again. Everyone was on the same page. There was negotiation and agreement,” he emphasized.

He also spoke about the need for a “cultural change” in the organization or government being managed: “We held cabinet retreats, leadership talks, coaching, and a lot of teamwork. That's the importance of organizational culture, which before seemed like a load of nonsense to me, but I learned that it's one of the most important things.”

During his time as mayor, Larreta also applied what he calls "an unrestricted devotion to method and a closeness to the people, to the point of absurdity." He would invite a group of neighbors to run with him at 6 a.m., or visit workers at bars or the flower market very early in the morning.

Alfonso Santiago, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Celina Cantú, Gabriel M. Astarloa and Fernando Straface.