ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Mexicos maquiladora industries from both a historical and a comparative perspective. During the past four decades, the maquiladora program has evolved in several new directions that have important consequences for national development in Mexico. The "old" maquiladoras are characterized by the use of labor-intensive operations that combine minimum wages with piecework and hire mostly women. The new maquiladora plants do seem to perform better than the old enclave operations in terms of domestic linkages. Industrialization in recent times is the result of an integrated system of global trade and production. Transnational corporations like Olivetti, Olympia, IBM, and Xerox have opted to split or partition their product lines among various countries. Scholars who have studied the export performance of Mexico's high-technology industries make a strong case for the positive role of certain state policies in fostering these export efforts.
