1st Edition
Industrial Development in Mexico Policy Transformation from Below
This book explores developmental policymaking across the multiple levels of Mexico’s contemporary state, arguing that many of the innovations in industrial policy have been driven at the subnational level. In the three decades since Mexico’s neoliberal turn in its political economy, subnational units of government have taken a lead in industrial transformation, galvanising policy from below. With most literature on new developmentalism focusing on the national level, this book is an important exploration of the differentiated and rewarding results that may be found below the state’s centre.
Based on an original dataset of written and oral interviews gained from national and subnational governmental units of industrial policymaking in Mexico, the book shows how attribution and power are diffused across the contemporary state’s multiple levels. Notable subnational projects explored by the book include public-private collaboration, productive investments and an interesting array of incentives targeted towards industrial upgrading and innovation. The book concludes by providing a distinctive and systematic comparison between subnational units from different countries in Latin America and further afield, in order to assess the commonalities of developmental roles and policies.
Industrial Development in Mexico will be an important read for scholars across the fields of political science, political economy and Latin American development.
1. Introduction: bringing the (developmental) state back in 2. Multilevel industrialisation in the developing world 3. Integrating subnational strategies before Mexico’s trade liberalisation 4. Subnational strategies after Mexico’s trade liberalisation: Nuevo León 5. Subnational strategies after Mexico’s trade liberalisation: Querétaro 6. Subnational industrialisation strategies in Latin America and beyond 7. Conclusion: transforming industrial policy from below Appendix: list of interviews
Biography
Walid Tijerina completed his doctoral studies at the University of York, UK, and now works at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico.
"This book makes a useful contribution to the emerging literature on the role of regions and cities in economic development. Based on a comparative analysis of Nuevo León and Querétaro, Tijerina demonstrates that even in a neoliberal country like Mexico, there is plenty of room to implement industrial policy. Everyone interested in promoting more dynamic economies should pay close attention to his contribution." — Diego Sánchez-Ancochea, Professor of the Political Economy of Development, University of Oxford, UK
"Tijerina punctuates the prevailing image of the 'developmental state' as a monolithic entity, firmly establishing the importance of local actors and policy experiments in shaping sub-national variation in Mexico's industrial development. The work makes a valuable contribution to debates within Political Science and International Political Economy over the institutional foundations of economic transformation. Given the upsurge of interest in alternatives to neoliberalism, this contribution is a particularly timely one." — Liam Clegg, Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics, University of York, UK
"Industrial Development in Mexico is an articulate and astute application of the New Developmentalist Theory. Tijerina reimagines the role of the State as chief orchestrator of economic affairs, and offers demonstrable evidence as to why subnational actors have earned their place in the new industrial policy framework. By reorganizing the perspective, and choosing to highlight public/private cooperation at the subnational level, Tijerina propels the Latin American development discussion into the modern era and offers encouragement for developing states around the globe where central government has failed to achieve cohesion." — Roberto Domínguez, Ph. D., Professor of International Relations, Suffolk University, Boston, USA; Executive Secretary, World International Studies Committee
