The Mexico–El Salvador Trade Dynamics from the Perspective of Smithian Political Economy of Absolute Advantages in the Current Mesoamerican Regional Context
Keywords:
International trade, Political economy, Absolute advantages, Regional integration, Trade logistics, Sanitary regulation, Environmental sustainability, Economic cooperationAbstract
This study explores the commercial relationship
between Mexico and El Salvador through the lens of
Adam Smith’s theory of absolute advantage, updated
to reflect the dynamics of the modern Mesoamerican
context. It examines the exchange of strategic goods
and services from 2019 to 2025, with particular
attention to factors such as logistical infrastructure,
sanitary certification, regulation, and environmental
sustainability. Using a mixed-method approach—
combining qualitative interviews with specialists
and quantitative analysis of official data from Central
Banks and international organizations—the research
identifies emblematic sectors including the automotive, pharmaceutical, textile, agro-industrial, biological, and
electronic industries, which exemplify the operational
absolute advantages of both countries. The findings
reveal that absolute advantages are not merely natural
or cost-based but are constructed through institutional,
technological, and regulatory capacities. Moreover,
the Mexico–Central America Free Trade Agreement
acts as a catalyst that enhances these advantages by
reducing transactional barriers. The study concludes
that bilateral trade between Mexico and El Salvador
currently operates as an empirical laboratory for
reinterpreting Smithian theory in a contemporary
framework, integrating efficiency, equity, logistics, and
sustainability as key criteria of competitiveness.
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