Attitudes toward Foreign Investment: the Case of Mexico.

Abstract

This article analyzes the surveys made for Mexico, the Americas and the World between 2004 and 2012 to describe the opinions of the Mexican people with regard to the impact of foreign investment on Mexico, the importance of attracting investment as a foreign policy goal, and which sectors of the economy should be open to foreign investment. The analysis allows us to identify patterns of opinion towards foreign investment that change over time, marked regional differences, and inconsistencies of opinion. We suggest that the influence of objective conditions is colored by subjective factors, which gives rise to inconsistencies between opinions of the benefits associated with foreign investment and policy preferences in this regard.