From “Thin” to “Thick” (and Back Again?): The Politics and Policies of the Contemporary US–Canada Border

Bridges and Barriers: The Lake Superior Borderlands

“…They are influenced by such factors as free trade, international organizations, central states, regional governments and/or cities, local sociological, economic, or cultural elements, and geographical proximity (Brunet-Jailly and Dupeyron 2007;Schimanski and Wolfe 2010). Moreover, these border regions-in today's globalizing world-are viewed as a function of unstable borders that are characterized as both connecting devices and barriers, with the variance skewed by the sharing countries' histories and cultures, as well as their defining political and economic structures (Ackleson 2009;Alper and Loucky 2007;Baber and Bartlett 2009). Nationalism and security concerns foster division, while social, culture, and environmental affinities and economic interaction strengthen the sense of connectivity (Alper and Loucky 2007).…”

“…We explore these assertions given the context of the Canada-United States border as it exists today-a border that fosters a borderlands experience in need of a major rebuilding of trust and mutual confidence (Ackleson 2009;Savage 2009). To do so, we highlight the Canada-U.S. geographical regions that border the eastern and western limits of Lake Superior.…”

Freight transportation costs and the thickening of the US–Mexico border

“…Several studies note that the 9/11 attacks contributed to a thickening of international boundaries around the United States (Ackleson, 2009;Lara-Valencia, 2011). Globerman and Storer (2011) suggest using freight transportation costs to quantify impediments to cross-border commerce.…”

“…Estimates of the cost of cargo vehicle delays at ports of entry on the southern border range from US $5.8 billion to $7.5 billion per year (Accenture, 2008;Del Castillo Vera, 2009). The effect of border delays on trans-boundary commercial transactions effectively amounts to increasing the distance between exporter and importer or 'thickening' the border (Boyer, 1997;Ackleson, 2009). It is well documented that a larger distance between countries is associated with lower trade volumes (Disdier & Head, 2008).…”

Conflating Imagination, Identity, and Affinity in the Social Construction of Borderlands Culture Between Canada and the United States

“…In addition, border problems have created a negative discourse which in turn extends the impact of the difficulties and leads to greater distance between "thin" and "thick" border positions and advocates (Ackleson, 2009). In the Pacific Northwest,"thin" border advocates assert surprise at border treatment and assert their right to "customer service," emphasizing that "Customers have rights.…”