Productivity and territorial specialization

Abstract

On the basis of a relatively free trade world and global economy, specialization tends to increase the comparative advantages of a country. But in this scenario, not countries but cities are the territorial organizations that play the main role. Cities concentrate the economic activity and political influential household that reflects economic changes.The purpose of this study is to explore the principles underlie the distribution of population on a territory and the likely effect of economic development on redistributing population geographically.

Notes

¹National Resources Committee, 1937, cited in Keyfitz (1965).

²In many traditional activities there is a high level of division of labour, and this situation does not imply necessarily a change in population redistribution.

³Urbanization is the change in the proportions of rural and urban populations.

⁴According to INEGI, between January and October of 1991 the maquiladora sector along the Northern border imported 99.0% of its raw materials and parts (INEGI, 1992, cited in Pradilla, 1993).

⁵The Mexican economy was highly affected by the rise of real interest rates on loans from international banks, Mexico being the most indebted Latin America country; the drop in oil prices, the main export product of Mexico; and two million US dollars were taken out of the country.

⁶INEGI, 1992, cited in Pradilla and Emilio (1993).

⁷For instance, the northern cities of the Mexico attracts people from both countries that want to cross the border (legally or illegally) for several reasons: tourism, business, trade, services and so on.

⁸For instance, business and professional services, financial resources, transports, market information, all kind of consumers and so on.