BORDERS AND SUSTAINABLE TRANS-ATLANTIC FREIGHT TRANSPORT

Abstract

Borders between countries were originally established as a demarcation of national territory and sovereignty but, with trade liberalization, they have become seen as infrastructure bottlenecks. The paper opens with a discussion of existing research for three types of trans-Atlantic freight moves—marine, air, and intermodal container. The challenges that borders have traditionally presented for freight—regulation, infrastructure and information—are then discussed. After examining the impacts of each of these, the paper concludes that security has recently become not so much a fourth pillar as an umbrella under which the other three operate. Furthermore, it is noted that increasing globalization has led to specialization in production and distribution that may not be environmentally sustainable. This is followed by a discussion of the traditional solutions governments undertake to mitigate border challenges, including multilateral harmonization of regulations and standards, financing new infrastructure development, and implementing technologies to resolve information and efficiency problems. The paper identifies six areas that should be in a forward-looking multilateral research agenda on borders and sustainable transport, but that, is all cases, further work is needed to adequately frame the research questions.

Keywords

• Free trade
• Sustainable transport
• Trans-Atlantic trade
• Infrastructure
• Regulation