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

More than a billion dollars of goods are traded across the US-Mexico border each day. With so much commerce, efficient and secure border management is essential to promote the competitiveness and economic well-being of not only the border region, but also the interior states of the US and Mexico. This report identifies strategies to meet the challenge of the dual mandate to manage the border in a manner that promotes security and trade at the same time.

The paper will be published in thespring of 2013 as a chapter in the forthcoming State of the Border Report, which seeks to provide a comprehensive yet accessible look at the state of affairs in border management and the border region, focusing on four core areas: trade and economic development, security, sustainability, and quality of life. The State of the Border Report is an initiative of the Border Research Partnership, which is comprised of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute, Arizona State University's North American Center for Transborder Studies, and el Colegio de la Frontera Norte.