@techreport{Sander1997border,
abstract = {Maquiladora assembly emerged to solve a specific problem in a specific
region. In the mid 1960s, it was designed to absorb unemployment
and to foster industrialization at the US-Mexican border. In the
course of its development, it developed considerable dynamics with
respect to both regional distribution and technological diversification.
Beyond initial intentions, maquiladora assembly proved to be a powerful
instrument to foster modernization and international integration
of the Mexican economy.
Maquiladora assembly is based on factor price differentials and a favourable
location with respect to the US-market. It has been developed
by private agents learning to tap these potentials. They successfully
intensified labour division among themselves. Most importantly,
they invented so-called Shelter Plan arrangements as privately marketed
services to overcome risk barriers to international integration. A
passive, i.e. liberal stance of economic policy proved to be supportive.
The implication for economic policy in transformation economies is
that an adequate assignment of responsibilities among market and
state is at least as important as efficient labour division among private
agents.},
address = {Kiel},
author = {Birgit Sander},
copyright = {http://www.econstor.eu/dspace/Nutzungsbedingungen},
keywords = {D20; F15; 330; Lohnfertigung; Klein- und Mittelunternehmen; Grenzgebiet; Internationale Arbeitsteilung; Regionales Wachstum; Internationaler Wettbewerb; Mexiko},
language = {eng},
number = {806},
publisher = {Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)},
title = {Do border economies generate comparative advantages for small- and medium-sized enterprises? : Evidence from the Maquiladora industry},
type = {Kiel Working Papers},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10419/954},
year = {1997}
}
