Research
Some Externalities Stemming from Mexico’s Urban-Regional Imbalance: The Covid’s Struggle in the Country’s Center Region
Abstract- The unbalanced growth observed around major cities and regions in Mexico stemming mostly from the neoliberal strategy implemented by Mexico in the last forty years is manifested with great intensity in the CDMX megalopolis located in the central region, the most populated of Mexico’s seven economic regions vid, Luis-Pineda, O.(Sep, 2021), which, although benefited by the economic boom of economic globalization, has inflicted enormous social and externalities to this region such as environmental costs such as air, soil pollution deterioration and myriad other socioeconomic effects on its population, generating as well a non-inclusive urban-regional development in the country, especially Mexico city´s macrocephalic growth in Mexico´s Center region, vid, Luis-Pineda, O. (feb, 2022). Worthwhile mentioning are pulmonary affectations as well as other health problems on its inhabitants due to the giant human and industrial concentration on this region, as a consequence of pollution by greenhouse gases CO2 along with others toxic air pollutants which altogether increase people’s proclivity to acquire lung cancer and various other diseases and make them more fragile vis-à -vis the pandemia. Explaining the severity of the lethality of this scourge among its major municipalities as around Mexico City’ vicinity (CDMX) in the recent past. However, the background of these externalities lies in the economic model of social exclusion concomitant to the trade liberalization and the prevailing neoliberal strategy implemented by Mexico in the last decades vis-a-vis the acquiescence of a carefree and corrupted State that has neglected its legal and social responsibility to promote growth and the generation of the social basic satisfiers for most Mexican people such as employment, health, housing, education, and social security. This paper aims at show that the ruling government throughout the last decades was unable to promote not only the production of the aforementioned social basic satisfiers, particularly, sufficient public health services throughout Mexico and particularly in this region to meet its increasing population demand. But this strategy has also produced some other externalities such as regional-urban imbalances among the studied region and the rest of regions and municipalities or urban areas in Mexico. A phenomenon which is also reflected among Mexico’s top 15 municipalities vid, Luis-Pineda, O. (sep.(a), 2021). A situation that has also undoubtedly affected the center region and contributed to exacerbating health problems such as theCOVID-19 pandemic currently affecting not only Mexico and its regions but the world over.
A Socially Non-inclusive Urban-Regional Development in Mexico: The Macrocephalic Growth of Mexico city in the Center Region
Under the basic premise that an economy and its territory as a socioeconomic entity, are inscribed into a nation’s space. Accordingly, the concomitant sustainable handling of its natural resources and people´s well-being depends on myriad factors among which stands out firstly, the country's own socioeconomic dynamics and secondly, but not least important, the political capacity of the State´s intervention into the economy, as the foremost legal entity capable and social risponsible to advance the nation´s economic strategy, to promote simultaneously growth and social well-being into the nation. Upon this framework, the article aims at analyze the socioeconomic implications of the neoliberal economic strategy adopted by Mexico, with particular reference to Mexico City (CDMX) vis-à -vis Mexico’s Center Region (encompassing CDMX and neighboring states) to demonstrate its failure and the compelling need to it towards a more balanced, social-inclusive and sustainable one. Time´s horizon for the analysis ranges from 1980-2020e.
Urban Imbalance and Non-inclusive Development in Mexico: The Case of its Top 15 Major Urban Municipalities
Under the basic premise that an economy and its territory as a socioeconomic entity, are inscribed into a nation’s space. Accordingly, the concomitant sustainable handling of its natural resources and people´s well-being depends on myriad factors among which stands out firstly, the country's own socioeconomic dynamics and secondly, but not least important, the political capacity of the State´s intervention into the economy, as the foremost legal entity capable to advance the nation´s economic strategy, to simultaneously foment growth and social well-being into the nation. Upon this premise, the article aims at analyzing the socioeconomic implications and multiple externalities derived from the neoliberal economic strategy implemented by Mexico in the last decades, with particular reference to the country´s current urban imbalances around the country´s top 15 municipalities including Mexico City to demonstrate its failure and the compelling need to reorient it towards a more balanced, social-inclusive and sustainable urban development. Time´s horizon for this analysis ranges from 1980-2018.
Socially Inclusive Versus Uneven Development: Developed and Peripheral Economies in a Global Context
After the Cold War and the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989, a new world order led by the USA emerges as the axis of a new unipolar order that brings with it economic liberalization and the globalization process, implanted an economic strategy nurtured in the spirit of liberalism. Adam Smith's 18th century economic economy from "Laissez Faire Laissez Passer" upholds the economic self-regulation of nations without state intervention. Currently becoming the neoliberal strategy that has dominated the world scene for more than forty years. Although its planetary implementation has generated benefits due to the associated boom in international trade in the global market, it has also led to adverse effects in different ways and intensities, both among developed and peripheral economies. Such as a greater economic distancing between rich and poor at the planetary level, regional imbalances and greater polarization of wealth in peripheral economies, and multiple externalities and exacerbation of their structural problems.
