Development and Growth in the Mexican Economy


Book Description

This book is the first comprehensive and systematic English-language treatment of Mexico's economic history to appear in nearly forty years. Drawing on several years of in-depth research, Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid and Jaime Ros, two of the foremost experts on the Mexican economy, examine Mexico's current development policies and problems from a historical perspective. They review long-term trends in the Mexican economy and analyze past episodes of radical shifts in development strategy and in the role of markets and the state. This book provides an overview of Mexico's economic development since Independence that compares the successive periods of stagnation and growth that alternately have characterized Mexico's economic history. It gives special attention to developments since 1940, and it presents a re-evaluation of Mexico's development policies during the State-led industrialization period from 1940 to 1982 as well as during the more recent market reform process. This reevaluation is critical of the dominant trend in economic literature and is revisionist in arguing that, in particular, the market reforms undertaken by successive Mexican governments since 1983 have not addressed the fundamental obstacles to economic growth. Development and Growth in the Mexican Economy also details the country's pioneering role in launching NAFTA, its membership in the OECD, and its radical macroeconomic reforms. Carefully argued and meticulously researched, the book presents a wide-ranging, authoritative study that not only pinpoints problems, but also suggests solutions for removing obstacles to economic stability and pointing the Mexican economy toward the road to recovery.







Economic Review of Mexico


Book Description







How Has Nafta Affected the Mexican Economy? Review and Evidence


Book Description

This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the impact of NAFTA on growth and business cycles in Mexico. The effect of the agreement in spurring a dramatic increase in trade and financial flows between Mexico and its NAFTA partners, and its impact on Mexican economic growth and business cycle dynamics, are documented with reference both to stylized facts and recent empirical research. The paper concludes by drawing lessons from Mexico's NAFTA experience for policymakers in developing countries. The foremost of these is that in an increasingly globalized trading system, bilateral and regional free trade arrangements should be used to accelerate, rather than postpone, needed structural reform.




Mexico's Economic Crisis


Book Description

In his penetrating analysis of Mexico's current economic, political, and social situation, Ramirez focuses on the major structural problems that underlie the nation's profound economic difficulties and the challenges they pose to its people. Writing for both economists and political scientists, Ramirez offers a framework of analysis for a better understanding of Mexico's economic crisis -- one based on an in-depth examination of both its historical origins and its present ramifications. The discussion is supported by comprehensive coverage of the relevant economic data, making this one of the most thorough treatments of the subject available in print. Following an introductory chapter that provides essential background information, Ramirez addresses the historical and institutional background of the current situation. His study is unusually broad-based in scope, encompassing such issues as the social costs of modernization and the legacy of revolution during the first part of this century, Cardenas and the revolutionary process, economic growth via import-substitution policies, the exhaustion of the Mexican growth model during the 1970s and 1980s, the IMF austerity program. The final chapters present cogently argued policy recommendations -- including alternatives to the austerity measures imposed by international lending organizations. Ramirez's conclusions regarding the causes of Mexico's economic decline and his predictions for the country's economic future make an important contribution to the debate over Mexico's economic survival.




Mexico


Book Description

Today Mexico is viewed as a success story in the management of economic adjustment and structural reform. Inflation is under control, capital and foreign investment are returning, and out growth has increased. Mexico's recovery, however, has been neither smooth nor rapid. In mid-1982, Mexico was in deep economic crisis compounded by an unfavorable international environment. Mexico was saddled with a large foreign debt, world interest rates were high, commercial banks had stopped lending, and the price for oil was dropping. Conditions at home were no better with rampant inflation, increasing capital flight, and chaos in financial and foreign exchange markets. To confront internal imbalances and accommodate adverse external conditions, Mexico adjusted its consumption and output, then sought new ways to foster growth. The crisis and adjustment imposed great hardship and demanded enormous discipline on the part of the government. This was accomplished without serious political or social disruption. In this book, Nora Lustig analyzes Mexico's economic evolution from the outset of the debt crisis in 1982 until the sweeping reforms began to bear fruit in the early 1990s. She explains the causes of the 1982 economic crisis and why it took Mexico "so long" to restore stability and growth. She also explores the question of the social costs of economic crisis and adjustment, and why the process may have been easier for Mexico than other debt-ridden countries. A discussion of the emerging role of the state in Mexico and the country's new outward-oriented development strategy is followed by an analysis of its search for greater economic integration with the United States and Canada. Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Book of 1992




Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes


Book Description

"Argues that incoherent social programs significantly contribute to poverty and little growth. Proposes converting the existing social security system into universal social entitlements. Advocates eliminating wage-based social security contributions and raising consumption taxes on higher-income households to increase the rate of GDP growth, reduce inequality, and improve benefits for workers"--Provided by publisher.




Bordering the Future


Book Description

The differences between the United States and Mexico may be immense, but their links—economic, political, and social—are profound, and growing stronger. In this incisive narrative, John Adams argues that Mexico, with which the United States shares a 1,951 mile border, is no sideshow but a pivotal component of American economic health and regional security. The primary theme that runs throughout this book is that Mexico has historically had, and will continue to e Drawing from the most current economic and demographic data and business examples, Adams demonstrates the depth and breadth of U.S.-Mexican relations, and their implications for American business and policymaking. In the process, he dispels popular myths about Mexico as an economic backwater or political distraction. The result is an authoritative and colorful account of our complex relationship with our neighbor to the south, and its broader implications for global growth and political stability. The border between the United States and Mexico runs for 1,951 miles. The differences between the two nations may be immense, but their links—economic, political, and social—are profound, and growing stronger. In this incisive narrative, John Adams argues that Mexico is no sideshow, but a pivotal component of American economic health and regional security. The primary theme that runs throughout the book is that Mexico—its domestic growth and industrial capacity, population pressures, energy needs, political dynamics, and strategic location—has historically had, and will continue to have, a tremendous impact on the United States. Drawing from the most current economic and demographic data and business examples, Adams demonstrates the depth and breadth of U.S.-Mexican relations and their implications for American business and policymaking. A unique aspect of the book is his analysis of the competition between Mexico and China for American resources for investment, trade, and economic development. Adams also dispels popular myths about Mexico as an economic backwater or political distraction. The result is an authoritative and colorful account of our complex relationship with our neighbor to the south—and its broader implications for global economic growth and political stability.