Mexico…is a dynamic, one trillion dollar economy and along with Canada, our largest trading partner. Its per capita income is $10,000, which puts it at the upper tier of middle income countries, not far behind Russia’s per capita income of $11,000. Compared with Russia, however, Mexico has a much better developed infrastructure of highways, ports, railroads, telecommunications, and social services that give it a poverty rate of 18% rather than 40%, as well as a male life expectancy of 73 years rather than 61 years (U.S. figures are 12% and 75 years, respectively). Unlike Russia, moreover, Mexico is a functioning democracy with open and competitive elections, a separation of powers, and a well-defined party system.
Here is much more, mostly on Mexican immigration, and thanks to Will Wilkinson for the pointer. I cannot, however, agree with all of the claims and rhetoric in the article. I would not, for instance, have denied that Mexico is "impoverished." Even this non-egalitarian feels compelled to point out that Mexico has one of the least equal income distributions in the world…
Is this the beginning of a “Claims my Russian wife gets mad at” series?
Regardless of the numbers, Mexicans voting with their feet tell us it’s a poor country. But, it is getting better.
“Regardless of the numbers, Mexicans voting with their feet tell us it’s a poor country. ”
No, it tells us that the US is a much better country to live in than Mexico.
And I have heard that 95% of Mexican illegal immigrants had jobs back in Mexico.
Why would that be surprising? They don’t emigrate seasonally because they can’t find jobs in Mexico, they emigrate seasonally because American jobs pay better.
The article makes a convincing case that mexican immigration is not a big problem. But it does not address immigration from Central and South America which seems to be growing at a steady rate. Taken together with the steady rate of mexican immigration this is what is causing the concern about immigrants in this country.
Mexico’s better infrastructure is probably due to the fact it is much smaller than Russia.
See, the thing about Mexico versus China or India or where, well, there’s these things called oceans. Between us and Mexico there’s no such things, so the same will not happen in terms of immigration. People will come, but not in the same way.
What is wrong with an unequal income distribution?
Is it not the perception that it is insurmountable that is problematic?
A little reading of behaviourial finance may allay this apparent bias…
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