Mexico Lacks Support for Research and Development Ivan Restrepo - La Jornada
go to original May 7, 2013

During their administrations, Presidents Fox and Calderon made a show of increasing public spending on research and technological development because, they said, a country that does not invest in these items is destined to be dependent on its natural resources, which it will not use rationally. For example, the enormous wealth of biodiversity is coveted by multinational pharmaceutical and chemical companies in order to patent and commercially exploit their discoveries.

Now a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provides data showing that Mexico has had a serious setback, in the tragic past twelve years, in research and development. We were already in last place among OECD countries in those areas, but especially during the Calderon administration, the regression was even greater. This was despite there being unseen foreign exchange earnings from oil, tourism and remittances from the migrants in the U.S. and Canada. And they insistently touted major advances in economic, educational, environmental and social realms.

Neither the government nor the business sector actually spent more on science and technology. We are far from what they invest even South Korea, China, Denmark, Germany or the United States, which explains in great part their economic and social success. In Mexico, however, measures to encourage private investment in these areas leave much to be desired. We continue to follow the path of importing technologies rather than developing them domestically.

Read the rest at Mexico Voices

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