Border Management

One of the principal approaches NACTS uses to understand North America is through the lens of borders by asking questions such as What are the transactional costs of borders? What are best practices in border management?

To advance our understanding of border management in North America, NACTS hosts research consortiums, convenes events, and projects ASU and partner universities' expertise in a number of key venues and initiatives throughout North America.

Key Initiatives

Environmental Impacts of the Border Fence: A Binational Workshop on "Espacios, Insrumentos y Actores"
This workshop focused on spaces, instruments, and actors identified as being instrumental in building a binational, alternative proposal to the border wall, as currently planned by the US Federal Government.

Border Officials' Cross Talk: Advancing North American Governance - Feb.13, 2008
This public event culminated the first of an annual series of "cross-talks" between practitioners and scholars of the U.S.-Canadian and the U.S-Mexican borders. The presenters discussed the best North American border management practices and lessons learned, with the aim of optimizing the North American governance of the continental "commons." Professor Daniel Drache of York University provided a Canadian perspective on the future of North America. Professor Paul Ganster of San Diego State University summarized views from the United States, while a Mexican point of view was provided by Raúl Rodriguez, former CEO and Managing Director of the North American Development Bank. ASU's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Executive Dean Alan Artibise served as moderator at the event. 

"North American Issues: Designing Institutions, Choosing Policies" - March 14-15, 2008
The North American Center for Transborder Studies prepared papers and presented findings on a panel on border environnmental institutions at a conference organized by the Network on North American Studies in Canada (NNASC) and the University of British Columbia (UBC). The theme of the conference and panel afforded an examination of both national and border environmental institutions and polices at both borders thus a chance to discover, export, and import the best management practices from each nation and both borders. Each of the NACTS partner universities were invited and at least one paper from both Canada and U.S and two papers from Mexico were presented.

Southwest Border: Emerging Issues Minicourse - Jan. 7-9, 2008
The North American Center for Transborder Studies and the North American Transportation Competitiveness Research Council hosted a seminar on border issues at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona on January 7-9, 2008. This program familiarized graduate students and other participants with the current border situation and emerging freight transportation issues in North America from both a public and private sector perspective. The program included a presentation on the Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This minicourse was the second in an ongoing series sponsored by NACTS.