MAJOR CHARACTERISTICS OF STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT IN
MEXICO’S MANUFACTURING SECTOR
Mexico’s structural adjustment in the manufacturing sector, starting from the early 1980s, has
exhibited such characteristics as heavier reliance on outward orientation, in-bondization of the
industrial sector, closer integration with the American economy and a high level of productive
concentration. The adjustment program has resulted in an export boom and swift development in
some of the sub-sectors.
Nevertheless, it has also generated new problems and unfavorable impact upon other sectors of
the economy and the society. Moreover, the adjustment program clearly indicated that neoliberal
policies have failed to effectively promote the nation’s industrialization process and that these
policies have also created a strong presence of the multinational corporations in the Mexican
economy.
(Xie Wenze)