[BUSINESS ★]
MEXICO’S DIVIDED ECONOMY
(P1) Mexico’s national economy remains LACKLUSTER. In 2014, the economy grew only 2.1 percent. Yet these numbers hide the great diversity among the nation’s thirty-one states and one district.
(P2) Certain states in the central part of the country experienced EXPLOSIVE rates of growth last year—Queretaro up 14.3 percent, Aguascalientes 14.2 percent, Guanajuato 7.4 percent, and Jalisco 3.7 percent. Home to auto and AEROSPACE businesses, these states receive large amounts of foreign direct investment. The THINK TANK México ¿Cómo Vamos? expects these states to continue to drive economic growth numbers going forward.
(P3) Some of Mexico’s northern states saw strong growth as well. Nuevo Leon, home to industrial city of Monterrey, grew 5.4 percent in 2014. In Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Tamaulipas, close ties to the United States seemed to OUTWEIGH continuing security challenges, with combined growth above the national average.
(P4) In contrast, Mexico City and the State of Mexico grew just 1 percent. Southern states Chiapas and Oaxaca trailed the national rate as well. Guerrero and Michoacán growth rates remains below average. These four states score the lowest on the United Nation’s human development index. And falling oil prices have hit the energy-rich southern states, in particular Tabasco and Campeche.
(P5) These trends threaten to AGGRAVATE already deep economic divides, creating wide DISPARITIES in terms of INFRASTRUCTURE, education, and opportunities.
(P6) These differential growth rates have the potential to shape regional and national politics.
WORDS: 233
SOURCE: http://blogs.cfr.org/oneil/2015/06/30/mexicos-economic-divide/
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
If you found the passage difficult to read or had problems understanding specific words or idiomatic expressions, please discuss them with your tutor. The following discussion questions should be answered in your own words and with your own arguments.
- Briefly summarize the content of the article in your own words.
- Are there big economic and political differences between different parts of your country?
- What industries are the most important in your city?
- Although parts of Mexico are doing very well, international opinions of the country tend to be negative. Why?
- The most successful Mexican cities such as Queretaro are home to many INDUSTRIAL PARKS. Are these common in your area?
EXPRESSIONS TO PRACTICE:
What do the following expressions mean? Practice using each expression in a sentence; extra points if you can use it in conversation.
- Think tank
- Industrial park
