NAFTA and the Strengthening of the Mexican Economy

Two decades ago, Canada, Mexico, and the United States created a continental economy. Since the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico has lived through a currency crisis, a democratic transition, and the rising challenge of Asian manufacturing. Many of the dynamics of North America today, from Mexico's reform agenda to continental concerns about competitiveness, have their roots in the conditions that produced NAFTA, in the agreement itself, and in the tremendous transformations it wrought. Looking back at that period provides context for understanding today's reforms. Today, Mexico’s competitiveness agenda, championed by President Enrique Peña Nieto and widely supported by the Mexican Congress, includes specific actions oriented toward promoting larger inflows of foreign investment by opening strategic economic sectors to private participation. This package of reforms would bring a sweeping transformation of the economy.

The Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute is pleased to invite you to an event on NAFTA and the Mexican economy. Jaime Serra Puche will present his book NAFTA and the Building of a Region. An Essay from the Mexican Perspective and Lucy Conger will present her paper on Mexican competitiveness, A Mandate for Mexico. Ambassador Carla A. Hills will provide commentary on both publications, in relation to the broader subjects of NAFTA and the Mexican economy.

Speakers

Jaime Serra Puche
Chairman, SAI Law and Economics

Ambassador Carla A. Hills
Chair and CEO, Hills & Company, International Consultants

Lucy Conger
Independent Journalist

Moderator

Duncan Wood
Director, Mexico Institute, Wilson Center