Export-oriented Industrialization and Regional Development: A Case Study of Maquiladora Production in Yucatán, Mexico
REGIONAL STUDIES (vol. 38, no. 5, pp. 517-532)


James J. Biles
Department of Geography
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI 49008 USA
Email: jbiles@wmich.edu

ABSTRACT

This study provides a critical appraisal of export-oriented industrialization (EOI), in the guise of maquiladora production, as a regional development strategy in the case of Yucatán, Mexico. Maquiladoras are export-oriented assembly plants characterized by the labour-intensive manufacture of imported components. Traditionally, these firms have located along the US-Mexico border. However, during the past decade maquiladora production has spread to other regions of Mexico. Perhaps the most dramatic shift in maquiladora location has been experienced by the state of Yucatán whereexport-oriented firms now account for one-third of all manufacturing jobs and more than two-thirds of all exports. Interregional input-output analysis reveals that maquiladora production has had a positive impact on economic growth and distribution of income in both urban and rural regions of the state. However, since the EOI strategy has failed to promote significant structural change in regional economies, long-term sustainable economic development in Yucatán is unlikely.