Situation of social welfare in the Southeast region of Mexico. A territorial approach analysis

Abstract

The objective of the work is to analyze the situation of social well-being in the Southeast of Mexico during the period 2000–2020. The functional region considers the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán. The hypothesis is that the trade liberalization implemented by neoliberal governments in the context of asymmetric economic development expanded territorial inequalities and reduced levels of social well-being in this region. To do this, we use the Average Index Value (VIM) methodology with which we build an index at the municipal scale. The results obtained show that a high percentage of the municipalities that make up each of the entities present lags in their social well-being conditions that place them below the national average. The originality lies in analyzing the conditions of social well-being in the region with a multivariate methodology, supported by representative indicators at the territorial level. The main conclusion is that, to reverse this deteriorating situation, an economic policy must be deployed aimed at implementing high-impact projects in the region through public and private investments, which allow the improvement of income and employment among the population, in addition of a redistributive social policy aimed at reversing the high levels of poverty and inequality.