This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1920 edition. Excerpt: ... The Fundamental Problem of Mexico Lecture given by GENERAL SALVADOR ALVARADO in New Y.ik Citj, March, 1920 Ladies and Gentlemen: Y only purpose in presuming to occupy your attention, is to present, from the view point of a Mexicans Revoluttonista, . various phases of the great problem which confronts my country. My earnest desire to make the causes which bring about the disturbance of order in Mexico known, has compelled me to deliver this lecture, in order to remove the general belief that these disturbances are the work of one man, or of one or of a thousand bandits. A revolution, as prolonged and intense as that through which we are passing, cannot be the labor of one man, nor the work of any one group of men, but it is the effect of a social contlition, brought about by a combination of circumstances, of powerful influence and a muitplicity of adverse and complex causes. On this occasion, I will only endeavor to sketch loosely some of the conditions prevailing in my country, and to give a brief outline of the remedial measure which we consider proper, without pretending to cover all of the phases of our difficult problem, and less to endeavor to discuss them 'in detail in a lecture, as this would be practically impossible. I am fearful of not pleasing my audience, as is my sincere wish, by reason of my poor pronunciation of the language, but trust to merit indulgence, in view of the interest which many of you will surely find in the exposition which will be made of some of the view-points. Before enterng into the discussion of the subject matter in hand, I believe it to be my duty to affirm that my opiniones of to-day, are the same as those which I have invariarbly maintained; vio circunstances of the hour have impelled me to..

This study examines the development of the crisis in Mexico, with the primary focus on the 6-year term of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and the first few months of his successor, President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León. It poses the question of how a country with such seemingly bright prospects as Mexico in the wake of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) approval by the U.S. Congress could so quickly plunge into crisis. The answer is that these problems had been festering for some time. By 1994, a combination of factors-including recurrent economic crises, a failure to introduce meaningful political reforms, the social devastation wrought by neoliberal economic policies, continuing corruption and mismanagement by Mexican political and economic elites, human rights violations, and the growing power of narcotraffickers-was sufficient to destabilize what had long been considered one of the most stable countries in Latin America. The prospects for the future are mixed, at best. While some substantive political, judicial and police reforms have been belatedly made, serious doubts remain as to how far President Zedillo will be willing/able to go in challenging the power and perquisites of the traditional government/Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) elite and the narcotraffickers. A major threat to these elements would probably in itself be destabilizing; it could also be personally dangerous for Zedillo at a time when political assassinations are becoming increasingly commonplace. Moreover, corruption and inefficiency are so ingrained in the political institutions and practices at all levels of Mexican society that nothing short of a wholesale cultural revolution seems likely to solve the basic problem. Such fundamental changes in values are notoriously difficult to carry out and would take years, indeed decades, to accomplish. Thus, while the economy may pick up in a year or two and significant advances in democratization may occur, political violence and social turmoil will continue, at least in the short-to-medium run. In turn, this will pose serious problems for the United States, especially in the areas of illegal immigration, narcotrafficking, and all the costs and dangers they pose for American society.

Why has an economy that has done so many things right failed to grow fast? Under-Rewarded Efforts traces Mexico’s disappointing growth to flawed microeconomic policies that have suppressed productivity growth and nullified the expected benefits of the country’s reform efforts. Fast growth will not occur doing more of the same or focusing on issues that may be key bottlenecks to productivity growth elsewhere, but not in Mexico. It will only result from inclusive institutions that effectively protect workers against risks, redistribute towards those in need, and simultaneously align entrepreneurs’ and workers’ incentives to raise productivity.

This book compiles the works of many authors from some of the best academic institutions in the world, all related to Mexico's contemporary general conditions. The main objective of this compilation is to examine Mexico as a whole, giving the reader an insight in its social, economic, political and environmental problems. For this purpose, the texts have been chosen in a way that after analysing a few of them, one will find them all correlated. The problems analysed in this book range from very recent (some of them occurring this past year) to others that go back decades or even centuries. In this sense, this contribution gives readers a historical perception of the problems captured. Some chapters develop scientific conclusions based on strict scientific research; however, the reader will find that the language is not overwhelming and the chapters can be thoroughly and easily read. Overall, it is a wonderful compilation made possible by all contributing authors and their interest to publish their most recent research on it. We hope that readers enjoy going through the pages of these chapters as they venture through contemporary Mexico, analysing topics from the environmental difficulties of Coahuila's sand dunes to social changes in the Meseta Purépecha, passing through other topics, such as, the conditions of human rights protection in Mexico or the return of the PRI regime, among other great discussions. The authors' interests are as different as their disciplines, but, in this case, diversity is important for maintaining multidisciplinary interpretations on the current needs of the Mexican society.

This book analyzes the crisis Mexico experienced in 1982 on the basis of the historical evolution of Mexico's political and economic structures. The author’s purpose in writing this book is to provide an interpretation of Mexico's current problems in order to analyze what must be done to solve some profound dilemmas and to restructure Mexican society. The main dilemma Mexico faces is its vanishing consensus.