Resumo

AGUAYO, Francisco  e  SALAS PAEZ, Carlos. Reestructuración y dinámica del empleo en México: 1980-1998. Región y sociedad [online]. 2002, vol.14, n.25, pp.3-62. ISSN 2448-4849.

This article intends to analyse the impact of the opening-up of the Mexican economy on the structure and economic development of the different regions. Generally speaking, the present debate on the subject focuses on the neoclassical-inspired argument that the development of the regions, although uneven, will tend to converge and to make equal the subsequent development conditions in the long term. In this paper a contrary hypothesis is set forth, that is to say: far from leading to the so-called neoclassical regional "convergence", the opening-up of the economy has led to an increase in the inequalities. Then, at the most basic level of the events -GDP evolution, direct foreign investment, and creation of employment-, the fallacy of the neoclassical argument is verified. In order to carry out this task, the evolution of these indicators is analyzed from the study of the productive specialization by regions, as well as from changes and participation in the regional structure of production and employment. Finally, and according to the logic of gradually reducing inequality among regions, it is argued in favor of a state active economic policy.

Palavras-chave : opening-up of the Mexican economy; inequalities; foreign investment; creation of employment; productive specialization.