Youth and Crisis: Moving toward a Lost Generation?

Abstract

The author explains how the chance for development offered by millions of young people becoming of working age can turn into a severe problem of early exclusion of these generations in Mexico. He emphasizes that this is a matter of national security that must be dealt with using economic and social policy, since millions of new adults are demanding education and jobs, and a large part of them neither work nor study. This reproduces pre-existing asymmetries, above all if school and the labor market themselves are losing legitimacy. The author shows that the “neither-nor” generation is de-coupling from institutions. But they are young people who want to consume. For this reason, it is urgent to launch a strategy for social inclusion, increasing the budget earmarked for them. Otherwise, they could represent a huge reserve army of criminals.