Critique
A Brief Summary
Headlining,“Mexico’s maquiladoras: Big maq attack,” this article published on the Economist.com just last year makes a statement about how Maquiladora factories are falling behind in the global economy. The journal writes, “A 50-year-old export industry that provides millions of jobs has to reinvent itself quickly to stay competitive,” suggesting that while maquiladoras are some of the most profitable investments for both Mexico and the U.S., they are being put up against stiff competition from Asian countries. The race as the journal suggests is to see who can provide the cheaper services to first world countries like the United States. Maquiladoras over the years have already lost basic work such as stitching fabrics to Asian countries and with the global crisis, they will continue to suffer in production and employment. The journal suggests that Maquiladoras need to “step it up” as a possible solution, and move into doing more sophisticated types of manufacturing as well as more product design if they want to remain competitive. Image source: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21588370-50-year-old-export-industry-provides-millions-jobs-has-reinvent-itself-quickly
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Image Source: http://gle.iipcollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/05/32_The-Economist-logo.jpg
This article provides a different view on the maquiladora industry as it talks about the economic aspect of the Maquiladora sector and its own race to stay in the global game. I think the article does a good job talking about not only the maquiladora, but also the rising Asian labor factories who are rapidly gaining ground in attracting the big industrial giants and their money. This article does a good job illustrating how both first world as well as developing countries play a role in the global economy, the ever growing consumerist wants, and the thirst for big profits from big companies.
While the article does a good job of explaining some of the economic aspects of the maquiladora sector, it fails to recognize and address the economic issues of those who work in maquiladoras. There is no mention of the low wages, the deplorable conditions, and the exploitative labor practices that go on in the maquilas. The article mentions the presence of Asian factories as a competitive threat, but if one steps back and looks at what this means, one would realize that people in these factories are also being exploited, perhaps for an even lower wage. When one looks at the Maquiladora industry, one must look at it as a whole to be able to be better informed and aware. |
Header Image Sources:
Header 1: http://goo.gl/QVKWf3
Header 2: http://thl376s01f08.providence.wikispaces.net/file/view/mexico-maquiladora-1_jpgmid.jpg/48828921/mexico-maquiladora-1_jpgmid.jpg
Header 1: http://goo.gl/QVKWf3
Header 2: http://thl376s01f08.providence.wikispaces.net/file/view/mexico-maquiladora-1_jpgmid.jpg/48828921/mexico-maquiladora-1_jpgmid.jpg