Beyond the liberal economic discourse. For an industrial policy for the 21st Century in Mexico

Abstract

The present paper scrutinizes the discourse that prevailed in Mexico and in the world in the last few decades in respect of the so-called micro, small, medium-sized and large companies “sector”, insofar as it is one of the most tangible expresions of the new liberalism that has been enthroned as the dominating ideology and doctrine since the early 1980’s. The view is held here that said discourse must be trascended and a new veritable industrial policy must be formulated, one that allows for the needs and problems of the industries to be addressed selectively and in a planned manner for the sake of the social and economic priorities of the different communities and regions in the country. It is argued that this policy must be nurtured from the great experience accummulated by the Mexican State during the20th Century whose peak was reached in the policies implemented in this sense by the Luis Echeverría and the José López Portillo administrations in the 1970’s. Essentially, the idea would be for the Mexican State to assume again an active role in managing the national economy, for it to resume its corresponding role planning and promoting economic activities, something the market cannot do on its own.