El presente artículo define las características centrales de la investigación legislativa. El objetivo general consiste en presentar los resultados de una encuesta de opinión que se levantó en las oficinas de las y lo senadores que fueron reelectos en su cargo en la LXVI Legislatura para conocer su valoración y expectativas referentes a la investigación legislativa. Entre los resultados destaca la necesidad de que los informes sean breves y basados en fuentes confiables. Aunque se valora positivamente la existencia de los centros de investigación legislativa, resalta que no se han constituido en la principal fuente de información de las y los senadores para su trabajo parlamentario. Para subsanar este hecho se requiere mejorar la estrategia de transferencia y comunicación de los documentos de investigación. Aunque los resultados no pretenden ser generalizables, pueden ser un punto de referencia para que otros centros de investigación realicen estudios similares con la finalidad de revisar y mejorar su funcionamiento, así como fortalecer la vinculación con su comunidad usuaria.
Knowledge management is a fundamental element of public action. In the Parlament, research centers play a crucial role by providing impartial, timely, and accessible information to support the drafting of legal norms and other parliamentary activities. These centers are composed of multidisciplinary teams that produce research and support documents, distinguished by their impartiality, timeliness, conciseness, and clear language—qualities highly valued by their user community. Legislative research is aimed both at responding to specific requests from legislators and at anticipating issues relevant to the legislative agenda.
Although these centers are increasingly recognized for their professionalism and quality, challenges remain regarding the effective transfer of knowledge and the appropriation of their services. It is essential to strengthen their institutional management to maintain impartiality and trust, and to expand their communication and engagement channels with users. These theoretical reflections are accompanied by the results of an opinion survey conducted in the Senate of the Mexican Republic, which identified how the usefulness and information needs for legislative work are perceived.
In a global political environment that increasingly questions the value of scientific knowledge, reflecting on the role and the theoretical and methodological foundations of legislative research is essential to improving evidence-based public decision-making.