Labor Market Issues Along the U.S.-Mexico Border

by Mora, Marie T.; Davila, Alberto

• ISBN13: 9780816527007
• ISBN10: 0816527008
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-12-01
• Publisher: Univ of Arizona Pr

Summary

Five million workers are employed in a variety of settings along the U.S.–Mexico border, yet labor market outcomes on each side often differ. U.S. workers tend to have low earnings and high unemployment compared with the rest of the country, while workers on the Mexican side of the border are often more prosperous than those in the interior. This book sheds new light on these socioeconomic differentials, along with other labor market issues affecting both sides of the border. The contributors take up issues that dominate the current discourse— migration, trade, gender, education, earnings, and employment. They analyze labor conditions and their relationship to immigration, and also provide insight into income levels and population concentrations, the relative prosperity of Mexico’s border region, and NAFTA’s impact on trade and living conditions. Drawing on demographic, economic, and labor data, the chapters treat topics ranging from historical context to directions for future research. They cover the importance of trade to both the United States and Mexico, salary differentials, the determinants of wages among Mexican immigrant women on the U.S. side, and the net effect of Mexican migration on the public coffers in U.S. border states. The book’s concluding policy prescriptions are geared toward improving conditions on the U.S. side without dampening the success of workers in Mexico. Written to be equally accessible to social scientists, policy makers, and concerned citizens, this book deals with issues often overlooked in national policy discussions and can help readers better understand real-life conditions along the border. It dispels misconceptions regarding labor interdependence between the two countries while offering policy recommendations useful for improving the economic and social well-being of border residents.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
A Fixed Border's Shifting Meanings: The United States and Mexico, 1821 to 2007	p. 8
Labor Market Evolution	p. 41
NAFTA and Economic Activity along the U.S.-Mexico Border	p. 55
Labor Market Dynamics and a Look Inside Border Maquiladoras	p. 71
Evolution of Average Returns to Education in the Mexican Northern Border States	p. 95
Earned Income along the U.S.-Mexico Border	p. 107
Wage Determinants of Mexican Immigrant Women along the U.S.-Mexico Border	p. 121
Differences between Mexican Migration to the U.S. Border and the Interior: Evidence from Mexican Survey Data	p. 139
How Do Mexican Migrants Affect Public Coffers? Changes in the Utilization of and Contribution to Public Benefits in U.S. Border States	p. 160
The Earnings of U.S.-Resident Cross-Border Workers in 2000 and 2005	p. 175
Comparing U.S.-Mexican Border Unemployment Rates to Non-Border Large MSAs	p. 190
Some Policy Implications for the U.S.-Mexico Border Region	p. 199
Appendix: Defining the Border and Data Appendix	p. 205
Notes	p. 211
Bibliography	p. 223
About the Editors	p. 245
About the Contributors	p. 247
Index	p. 253
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