University System and Economic Development in Mexico Since 1929

For decades, Mexican leaders and scholars as well as outside observers have spoken of a Mexican university system in crisis, expressing concern over student political activism and violence, declining quality of instruction and facilities, crowded campuses, and lack of employment for graduates. When the government harshly suppressed a student movement in 1968, world attention focused on the turmoil that was endemic in university life. During the severe economic slump of the 1980s, the fundamental weaknesses of the Mexican economy its inefficiency and inability to compete in the world were often attributed to failings of the university system. Using original quantitative data on the graduates of all Mexican universities in a dozen major professional fields since 1929, the author explores the nature of this purported crisis by examining a series of questions about the Mexican university system: How have the changing policy priorities of the Mexican government affected the university s education of professionals? How have the Mexican economy s needs for professionals shaped the functioning of the university system? Has Mexico trained enough professionals? Have they been trained in the right fields? Has the university been able to respond to demands for upward mobility through higher education?