Mexico's Economic Dilemma

James M. Cypher is a research professor in the doctoral program in development studies, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas. Raúl Delgado Wise is director of the doctoral program in development studies, Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas.

Cypher and Delgado Wise (development studies, Univ. Autónoma de Zacatecas, Mexico) both earned their PhDs in the US, carry weighty scholarly credentials, and have published numerous books and articles on various topics relating to migration and economic development. Their more recent works have centered on Mexico. This collaboration is an unapologetic critique of neoliberalism, which the authors maintain was swallowed hook, line, and sinker by US-trained policy makers, who had a total disregard for the dangers these strategies posed for Mexico. The analysis is divided into seven . . . chapters (such as export-led growth, NAFTA, and the maquiladoras), the usual suspects when discussing Mexico's relationship with the US. However, the authors expand this view to include discussion of the globalization of capital. Given that both authors are also part of the cohort of US-trained intellectuals living/working in Mexico, it is interesting that they resurrect dependency theory in their analysis. . . . The text is very readable. . . . Summing Up: Recommended.

• Chapter 1: Mexico's Socioeconomic Structure and the Current CrisisChapter 2: The Political Economy of Mexico's Export-Led ModelChapter 3: NAFTA: U.S. Restructuring, Mexican RealignmentChapter 4: The Maquiladora Sector: Building Block of Mexico's Export-Led ModelChapter 5: The Disguised Maquila Sector and BeyondChapter 6: The Direct Exportation of Mexican LaborChapter 7: The International Political Economy of Capital RestructuringEpilogue