Economic Development in Border Areas: The Case of New Mexico and Chihuahua
Recent interest in the United States-Mexico border has been centered on problems associated with legal and illegal migration, legal and illegal trade patterns, the twin plants or maquiladora program, rapid population growth on both sides of the border, and relatively low incomes on the U.S. side of the border. This interest has been manifested in the creation of the Southwest Border Regional Commission, the emphasis on this region in the current development plan of the government of Mexico, an increasing number of articles in scholarly journals, and by the proposals of the Reagan Administration to alter significant aspects of U.S. immigration policy with respect to Mexican citizens. It is frequently noted that the U.S.Mexico border is unique among border areas in that it is the longest international boundary in the world characterized by such great differentials in income.' Our purpose in this paper is not to contest the conclusions of earlier research; rather, our purpose is to examine a sub-region within the border area that is unique in many respects. The sub-region we are examining includes the State of New Mexico in the United States, the State of Chi