What has globalization done for Mexico?

*In the case of NAFTA, the benefits flowing to Mexico seem to have resulted more from the general liberalization of trade and investments than directly from NAFTA, as such. That is, the general liberalization of trade and investments that accompanied NAFTA led to a general increase in Mexican exports and inflows of FDI, which increased specialization, competition, productivity and efficiency in Mexico. But the increase in total Mexican exports and FDI inflows from the rest of the world was as large or larger than that from the United States.

*Furthermore, most of the (indirect) benefits that Mexico received from NAFTA occurred in the years immediately preceding the creation of NAFTA rather than in the years soon after its creation.

*Mexico was unable to capture more of the potential benefits from NAFTA or for a longer period of time because of the economic crisis that afflicted Mexico in 1994-1995, the slowdown of U.S. growth in 2000 and recession in 2001, increased competition from China, but most importantly because Mexico failed to adequately restructure and liberalize its economy and improve the education and training of its labor force.