94: Why Is Mexico’s Economy Struggling — and Can It Turn Around?

Mexico is the United States’ largest trading partner and home to a formidable industrial base. So why has its economy continued to underperform, with GDP growth of just 0.7 percent last year? Roberto Salinas-León, president of the Mexico Business Forum and director of the Atlas Network Initiatives for Latin America, joined “México Centered” host Tony Payan to discuss the structural challenges inhibiting Mexico’s economic growth and possible ways forward, from investor uncertainty to low productivity tied to weak public investment and a large informal sector. This conversation was recorded on February 17, 2026.  Featured: Roberto Salinas-León, Ph.D.: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberto-salinasleon/ Tony Payan, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan  You can follow @BakerInstitute and @BakerInstMexico on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Learn more about our data-driven, nonpartisan policy research and analysis at bakerinstitute.org.