ASU’S North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) Works with Key Partners to Find Full Value of North American Trade

NACTS is first and foremost about collaboration in North America. Robust and mutually beneficial international trade is a fundamental part of peaceful and prosperous international relations. North American trade in particular is an excellent example of this: Canada and Mexico are our nation’s number 1 and number 2 export markets, respectively. In particular, in 2011 our exports to Mexico grew by $34 billion, the largest dollar increase in U.S. exports to any market in the world.

Upcoming event on Global North American Borders. On September 23-25 of this year, NACTS will co-organize a major conference at Arizona State University with the U.S. Department of Commerce and additional key stakeholders. The conference will emphasize opportunities with “Global North America” and our borders in terms of economic development and job creation. In addition, the conference will discuss lessons learned from the recent border trade delegation led by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which NACTS recently helped to kick off in Washington. More details on this important event in September will be forthcoming.

NACTS Reports on Trade. As a service to interested economic development stakeholders and other parties throughout North America, below we provide information and links to our recent work on how to best leverage our commercial exchange with Mexico. Click on the titles to read our most recent reports and working papers in PDF format, or visit our website at nacts.asu.edu.

Realizing the Full Value of Our Crossborder Trade with Mexico

The North American Center for Transborder Studies developed a report for the New Policy Institute’s 21st Century Border Initiative, “Realizing the Value of our Cross Border Trade with Mexico.”  The report serves as an introduction to a much-needed national discussion on the real value of our commercial relationship with Mexico, as well as the numerous opportunities and challenges at our shared border. As the export sector assumes more importance and the U.S. economy struggles to create high-quality jobs, our nation needs to discover every dollar of value in our relationship with our nation’s number two export market, Mexico. Read the full report at http://bit.ly/sry6Vj.

Realizing the Full Value of Mexican Tourism to the United States

As the U.S. take steps to regain the nation’s prominence as an international tourism destination, the U.S. federal government needs to take a number of key steps in order to realize the full value of tourism from our nation’s number two tourism market: Mexico. A renewed focus on this key market has strong potential to result in increased tourism expenditures and job creation in the Southwest as well as the rest of the nation. Yet such positive outcomes will only result from a shift in the nation’s strategic approach toward Mexico’s growing middle class, enhanced efficiencies at our land ports of entry as well as improvements in visa processing at our Embassy and Consulates in Mexico. Read the full report at http://bit.ly/KuvqKq.

The State of Trade, Competitiveness and Economic Well-being in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region

Border Research Partnership Working Paper by Christopher E. Wilson, Associate, Mexico Institute and Erik Lee, Associate Director, NACTS

Commerce between the United States and Mexico is one of the great—yet underappreciated—success stories of the global economy. In fact, in 2011 U.S.-Mexico goods and services trade probably reached the major milestone of one-half trillion dollars with virtually no recognition. The United States is Mexico’s top trading partner, and Mexico—which has gained macroeconomic stability and expanded its middle class over the last two decades—is the United States’ second largest export market and third largest trading partner. Seventy percent of bilateral commerce crosses the border via trucks, meaning the border region is literally where “the rubber hits the road” for bilateral relations. This also means that not only California and Baja California, but also Michigan and Michoacán, all have a major stake in efficient and secure border management. This paper was presented at the U.S.-Mexico Border Trade Policy & Promotion Week Kick-Off at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on June 1 of this year. It will be part of the State of the Border Report, forthcoming from the Border Research Partnership (NACTS, Mexico Institute and COLEF) in fall 2012. You may download a copy of the working paper at http://bit.ly/KVEyI8.
Links to selected media reports on this new working paper are listed below:

• http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/06/american-mexican-trade/
• http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2012/06/panel-says-u-s-mexico-border-issues-hinder-huge-economic-opportunities/.
• http://blogs.cfr.org/renewing-america/2012/06/08/the-north-american-market-a-competitive-edge-that-shouldnt-be-squandered/
• http://www.fronterasdesk.org/news/2012/jun/05/trade-between-us-mexico-tops-500-billion/#.T8-NUdxSQk8

North American Opportunities and the Sun Corridor

A Report for the Maricopa Association of Governments, the Central Arizona Association of Governments and the Pima Association of Governments, December 2009

NACTS presented “North American Opportunities and the Sun Corridor,” to the Maricopa Association of Governments, the Central Arizona Association of Governments and the Pima Association of Governments  in Casa Grande, Arizona on December 17, 2009. The goal of the document was to assist the Arizona Councils of Government in conceptualizing and developing the Sun Corridor as a globally competitive economic entity. The project would be the first iteration of attempts by MAG and others to conduct the planning and analysis necessary to develop Maricopa County, the Sun Corridor, and the Intermountain West (and eventually the entire NAFTA corridor) as a job creation and economic development “cluster.” Read the full report at http://bit.ly/M4gIn3.