Graduation Date
2004
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Sociology
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Charles Clark
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Lee H. Bowker
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Steven Hackett
Fourth Committee Member Name
Dr. Erick Eschker
Fifth Committee Member Name
Dr. Donna Schafer
Keywords
Sociology
Abstract
This thesis examines the relationships between market liberalization and social inequality, poverty and biodiversity in Mexico. A narrative history of political, socioeconomic and ecological conditions in southeastern Mexico uses both statistical analysis and in-depth interviews to explain economic liberalization policies in Mexico’s northern Border States, central interior and southern regions. The southern region bordering Guatemala paradoxically is most impoverished; however, vast natural resources make it one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Plan Puebla-Panama, Mexico’s proposal to integrate markets with infrastructure from the southern state of Puebla to Panama in Central America, is broken down into its key economic assumptions to amplify an essential paradox of globalization- it does not affect populations, nations or regions in a uniform manner. For example, over 25% of Mexico’s water comes from Chiapas where up to 54% of the nation’s hydroelectricity is generated. Yet a large percentage of Chiapas’ people - primarily Mayans, have no electricity or running water in their homes. The findings indicate that differential impacts of globalization within a nation are difficult to discern from national data, while official statistics and crossnational comparisons often skew analyses of globalization outcomes. A careful measurement of socioeconomic indicators reveals a trend toward widening relative inequality and environmental degradation falling disproportionately upon children, elders and women among marginalized cultural groups. Thus, critical analysis of specific regions within and between countries irrespective of provincial and national borders is necessary to explain how globalization actually affects people, culture and biodiversity.
Recommended Citation
Levy, Michael Stanton, "Globalization, Biodiversity, and Resistance in Mexico: Deconstructing Plan Puebla-Panama" (2004). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2457.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2457