everything's really ok

[Brad De Long]

>Brad DeLong wrote:
>
>>Consider, however, a Mexico that did *not* have access to the U.S. 
>>market. Given the rate of increase of Mexico's labor force, what 
>>would the labor market look like if exports *had not* risen from 
>>$61 billion in 1994 to $150 billion in 2000?
>
>All other things being equal, it's better that Mexico have access to 
>the U.S. market than not. But why should we accept the other things 
>being equal? What would be best for Mexicans is an internally rather 
>than externally oriented development - housing, schools, 
>infrastructure, clinics, real industrialization rather than the 
>maquila sort.
>
>Doug

$10 billion a year in straight grants for U.S.-funded social 
investment in Mexico? I would love it. But the NADBank--$4 billion in 
loans for border development--nearly lost us Republican votes for 
NAFTA (and has had amazing start-up problems).

The long-run hope is that the democratization of Mexican politics 
will make real social democracy (as opposed to patronage oligarchy) 
feasible in Mexico. But I'm not holding my breath.

Brad DeLong