Navarrete, JM; (2008) The Maya in transition: Is the maquila industry in rural Yucatan a sustainable development alternative? Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Using a case study from a rural region of southern Mexico, this work evaluates the performance of a garment assembly plant and compares the findings with the extensive literature on the assembly industry in northern Mexican cities. It assesses the economic, environmental and social impacts of a large garment assembly plant located in a depressed rural area of Yucatan, and considers the implications for semi-industrialised countries* ability to implement sustainable development policies in a liberalised global economy. A social survey of 200 people and 20 in-dcpth interviews were the main source of data. Under the New Economic Model (NEM) export assembly activities have accounted for a growing share of the economy of the New Industrialised Countries (NICs). In Mexico such companies have grown rapidly since the 1960s and have constituted the main development policy. Maquiladoras have become one of the principal sources of foreign earnings and have been the fastest growing source of employment. Less positively, maquiladoras have not succeeded in integrating with local industry nor have they reduced migration to the US or even significantly improved the living standards of those working in the sector. The garment maquiladora studied in this thesis - Monty industries, Motul, Yucatan - offers a unique perspective on the assembly activities carried out in the country. The plant is located in the south of Mexico, in a rural area of one of the poorest and more indigenous states. Although most of the negative ch-:v itics of the industry are present, the overall impact is quite positive and differs in many ways with what has been written about the industry in the north of the country. Because jobs are distributed among a relatively small number of families, Monty has had a considerable economic impact and generated many economic spillovers. However, despite state legislation aimed at reducing the impact of pollution, Monty is a polluting plant that has not complied with the Mexican environmental norms.

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