IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/anname/v610y2007i1p119-142.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Strategic Role of Mexican Labor under NAFTA: Critical Perspectives on Current Economic Integration

Author

Listed:
  • RaúL Delgado Wise

    (Doctoral Program in Development Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas (Mexico); International Network on Migration and Development)

  • James M. Cypher

    (Doctoral Program in Development Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas (Mexico))

Abstract

This article aims to reveal the precise meaning of Mexico's export platform by focusing on maquiladoras and the disguised maquila industry. In both sectors, imported components account for 75 to 90 percent of export value. As a result, benefits for the Mexican economy are basically restricted to wages, that is, the value of the labor incorporated into the exports. The authors argue that what is actually taking place is the disembodied exportation of labor or, alternatively, that the workforce is being exported without requiring Mexican workers to leave the country. The authors thus demystify the purported orientation of Mexican exports toward high-value-added manufactured goods and reveal the regressive movement of the export platform.

Suggested Citation

  • RaúL Delgado Wise & James M. Cypher, 2007. "The Strategic Role of Mexican Labor under NAFTA: Critical Perspectives on Current Economic Integration," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 610(1), pages 119-142, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:610:y:2007:i:1:p:119-142
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716206297527
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0002716206297527
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0002716206297527?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ventura-Dias, Vivianne & Durán Lima, José Elías, 2003. "Comercio intrafirma: concepto, alcance y magnitud," Comercio Internacional 4384, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    2. World Bank, 2005. "Global Economic Prospects 2006 : Economic Implications of Remittances and Migration," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 7306.
    3. Dell Champlin & Eric Hake, 2006. "Immigration as industrial strategy in American meatpacking," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 49-70.
    4. Mortimore, Michael & Barron, Faustino, 2005. "Informe sobre la industria automotriz mexicana," Desarrollo Productivo 4555, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Meghamrita Chakraborty, 2023. "Linking Migration, Diversity and Regional Development in India," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 8(1), pages 55-72, January.
    2. David J. McKenzie & Johan Mistiaen, 2009. "Surveying migrant households: a comparison of census‐based, snowball and intercept point surveys," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 172(2), pages 339-360, April.
    3. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/7i7knjo7kv89n9d542jjp3tg0g is not listed on IDEAS
    4. David Autor & David Dorn & Gordon H. Hanson, 2023. "Trading places: Mobility responses of native and foreign-born adults to the China trade shock," POID Working Papers 074, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. Petreski Marjan & Petreski Blagica & Tumanoska Despina & Narazani Edlira & Kazazi Fatush & Ognjanov Galjina & Jankovic Irena & Mustafa Arben & Kochovska Tereza, 2017. "The Size and Effects of Emigration and Remittances in the Western Balkans. A Forecasting Based on a Delphi Process," Comparative Southeast European Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 65(4), pages 679-695, December.
    6. David Antonio C., 2011. "How do International Financial Flows to Developing Countries Respond to Natural Disasters?," Global Economy Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 11(4), pages 1-38, December.
    7. Mahamoud, Ismael, 2006. "Les hawalas : les systèmes informels de transfert des fonds [Hawala: informal funds transfer systems]," MPRA Paper 48883, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Gibson, John & McKenzie, David, 2011. "The microeconomic determinants of emigration and return migration of the best and brightest: Evidence from the Pacific," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 18-29, May.
    9. Sáez, Sebastián, 2005. "Trade policy making in Latin America: a compared analysis," Comercio Internacional 4397, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    10. Jawad, Muhammad & Qayyum, Abdul, 2015. "Modelling the Impact of Policy Environment on Inflows of Worker’s Remittances in Pakistan: A Multivariate Analysis," MPRA Paper 85497, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. William Collier & Matloob Piracha & Teresa Randazzo, 2018. "Remittances and return migration," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 174-202, February.
    12. Margot Moinester, 2018. "Beyond the Border and Into the Heartland: Spatial Patterning of U.S. Immigration Detention," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(3), pages 1147-1193, June.
    13. Manoj Pant, "undated". "Economic Development: Do Governments matter?," Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Discussion Papers 09-01, Centre for International Trade and Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
    14. Minseong Kang & Byeong‐Il Ahn, 2023. "Market power and cost‐efficiency effects: Broiler packing industry in South Korea," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(4), pages 1157-1172, October.
    15. Sanket Mohapatra & Dilip Ratha, 2010. "Forecasting migrant remittances during the global financial crisis," Migration Letters, Migration Letters, vol. 7(2), pages 203-213, October.
    16. Gomez-Ruano, Gerardo, 2011. "Technological Change and Immigration Policy," MPRA Paper 63705, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Brown, J. David & Hotchkiss, Julie L. & Quispe-Agnoli, Myriam, 2009. "Undocumented Worker Employment and Firm Survival," IZA Discussion Papers 3936, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Görlich, Dennis & Trebesch, Christoph, 2006. "Mass migration and seasonality: evidence on Moldova's labour exodus," Kiel Advanced Studies Working Papers 435, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    19. Mr. Andrew J Swiston, 2010. "Spillovers to Central America in Light of the Crisis: What a Difference a Year Makes," IMF Working Papers 2010/035, International Monetary Fund.
    20. David McKenzie & Hillel Rapoport, 2011. "Can migration reduce educational attainment? Evidence from Mexico," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 24(4), pages 1331-1358, October.
    21. Piracha, Matloob & Vadean, Florin, 2009. "Return Migration and Occupational Choice," IZA Discussion Papers 3922, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:610:y:2007:i:1:p:119-142. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.