Overaccumulation crisis in Mexico during the 2008 crisis: a comparison between the six-year terms of EPN and AMLO

Abstract

This work analyzes the crisis of overaccumulation in Mexico in the context of the 2008 financial crisis, evaluating how it revealed a series of contradictions in the Mexican economic model. The research uses the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz Curve as main tools to identify the dynamics of capital accumulation and its impact on inequality during the administrations of Enrique Peña Nieto (2012–2018) and Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018–2024). It is based on the Marxist theoretical framework of overaccumulation, contrasted with contemporary structural analyses applied to the Mexican case. Throughout the document, public policies that influenced income concentration are addressed, as well as redistribution strategies implemented under the discourse of social justice. The findings show that, although there were redistribution efforts in both governments, the structural roots of inequality remain and are manifested through indicators such as the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz Curve.