Dos décadas de Neoliberalismo en México: resultados y retos

Abstract

This paper evaluates Mexico’s shift toward neoliberalism after considering its experience with import-substitution industrialization (ISI), including the liberalization of trade and finance and privatizations. The next section assesses NAFTA and the growing integration of Mexico’s economy with the US, and the particular role of the maquiladora industry in the context of Mexico’s development strategy. The next section presents the results of two decades of neoliberal policies in Mexico, considering the impact on workers, the environment and the Mexican population overall, with particular emphasis on the peso crisis of 1994-95. The main results for the neoliberal period are the following: GNP growth rates are roughly half of the level for the ISI period; real manufacturing wages in 2004 are only 70% of their level in 1980; and unemployment and poverty clearly increased. Finally, the attempts to challenge the specific neoliberal model that Mexico has been pursuing are presented and discussed.