Analysis & Opinions - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

Reducing Transaction Costs at North America’s Borders

| Mar. 20, 2018

The North American market is a significant driver of U.S. economic activity and competitiveness. Mexico and Canada are the United States’ two biggest export markets, making up over a third of overall U.S. exports valued at more than $580 billion. Imports from both countries contain far higher proportions of American content than goods that are imported from Asia or Europe.

Nonetheless, and even recognizing the new era of North American trade created by the North American Free Trade Agreement, there are still significant logistical constraints to commercial flows within North America, with the result that the United States, Mexico, and Canada are effectively leaving money on the table in terms of competitiveness and job growth. And many of these constraints are tied to the efficiency of the countries’ ports of entry

Downloads

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Rohrbaugh, Ben and Nate Bruggeman.“Reducing Transaction Costs at North America’s Borders.” Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, March 20, 2018.

The Authors

Recommended
In the Spotlight
RSS
Lawrence Summers, Philip Zelikow, and Robert Zoellick argue that Ukraine’s allies should use the $300 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets to show Putin he cannot outlast Ukraine and the West economically.
Global attention to the problem of sexual violence in conflict is important, writes Dara Kay Cohen, but accountability alone has serious limitations as a tool for deterrence of conflict-related sexual violence and may do little to address the root cause.
Guido Torres assesses impacts of the war in Ukraine on Latin America’s economic and political situation and recommends steps the U.S. can take to reduce the negative impacts and protect Latin American sovereignty.
Most Viewed

Tags