Manufactura y TLCAN: un camino de luces y sombras

Resumen

MORE THAN 10 YEARS AGO, MEXICO, THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA LAUNCHED THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA). FOR THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT OF THAT TIME, NAFTA WAS THE COROLLARY OF A RADICAL CHANGE IN THE NATION'S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY. THIS CHANGE IMPLIED ENDING ONCE AND FOR ALL THE STRATEGY OF IMPORT SUBSTITUTION AND STATE-LED INDUSTRIALIZATION, AND IT WITH A STRATEGY CENTERED ON TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND THE REDUCTION OF STATE INTERVENTION IN THE ECONOMY. IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THIS STRATEGY, THE GOVERNMENT AND SOME EXPERTS SAW NAFTA AS AN INSTRUMENT TO ACHIEVE TWO GOALS. THE FIRST WAS PUTTING THE MEXICAN ECONOMY ON A NON-INFLATIONARY ROAD WITH GROWTH BASED ON NON-PETROLEUM EXPORTS MAINLY TO THE UNITED STATES. THE SECOND GOAL -AND THE DECISIVE POLICY OBJECTIVE FROM THAT POINT OF VIEW- WAS TO GUARANTEE THE CONTINUITY OF MEXICO'S MACRO-ECONOMIC REFORMS.