Border Effects Research Articles

Estimating National and Foreign Trade Elasticities Using Generalized Transport Costs

ABSTRACTWe introduce the definition of two distinct trade elasticities corresponding to imports from regions located in the same country (national elasticities) and foreign regions located in other countries (foreign elasticities). We resort to a three‐tier nested CES utility structure to derive the corresponding demand gravity equations. In absence of tariffs within single markets, we identify and recover the elasticities through a precise measure of generalized transport cost that combines economic, engineering, and logistic criteria. Results using PPML estimation methods on EU trade data show that national elasticities double in value their foreign counterparts. Our estimates allow revisiting previous results on border effects, gains from trade, and CGEs.

Towards a social dialectometry: the analysis of internal border effects

We aim to broaden the scope of border studies in dialectology and show that intra-state political borders can impact dialect continua as significantly as inter-state political borders. Our analysis focuses on the processes of language change currently taking place on either side of the Catalonia-Aragon border in Spain. We aim to bring dialectometry and sociolinguistics closer together by using generalized additive mixed-effects regression modelling allowing us to simultaneously analyze a large corpus of items and assess which social variables are responsible for this internal border effect. Firstly, our results confirm that the internal border between Catalonia and Aragon, arising from two simultaneous processes of vertical advergence (towards standard Catalan in Catalonia and towards standard Spanish in Aragon), has a stronger effect than the international border between Spain and Andorra. This emphasizes the need to investigate internal borders in linguistic convergence and divergence studies. Secondly, our findings indicate that the main predictors of change are the speakers’ year and birth region. This provides evidence that the border effect should be attributed, more than any other social factor, to the long-term consequences of belonging to distinct administrations. Finally, after comparing various indicators of the sociolinguistic evolution of the Aragonese Catalan dialects, we conclude that in this process of language shift, the decline in ethnolinguistic vitality of the recessive language correlates with an increase in structural hybridization caused by advergence towards the expanding language. This prompts further exploration into whether hybridization is a cause, mechanism, or result of the processes of language substitution.

The Buddhist epistemic complex: refiguring Buddhist territoriality in the Himalayan borderlands

ABSTRACT In this article, I draw attention to the refigured Buddhist networks in the Indian Himalayas that commenced after the closure of the Indo-Tibetan border, which previously afforded passage for traders, monks, peasants and pilgrims. As the new border regime restricted Himalayan Buddhist monks from travelling to Tibet for religious education, new Buddhist institutes came up with the support of the Indian state to fill the educational void. I argue that these modern Buddhist universities and their networks constitute a ‘Buddhist epistemic complex’, and conceptualise it as a border effect, since it followed in the wake of the deterritorialisation faced by Buddhist minorities in the Himalayas. Based on ethnographic work, this article offers a way to understand the strategies of accommodation of borderland Buddhists toward the Indian state that followed from historical and geopolitical factors.

Dynamics of Xylella fastidiosa and plum leaf scald: Insights from a long‐term study in Brazilian orchards

AbstractXylella fastidiosa is one of the most dangerous plant‐pathogenic bacteria globally, affecting various host species. Plum leaf scald (PLS) is the primary disease affecting plum trees in Brazil, with plant eradication efforts significantly increasing in recent years. This study aims to elucidate the disease dynamics and its vector in three monitored orchards from 2010 to 2015 and associate the pattern of pathogen dispersal with mechanical pruning. The incidence was lower in Porto Amazonas, starting at 0% and reaching 14% after 5 years. In contrast, the orchards in Araucaria and Palmeira showed an initial incidence around 5% in the first year, exceeding 80% by the end of the study. Sharpshooter leafhoppers, the vectors, were collected at ground and plant canopy level during the last 3 years. In 2013, more leafhoppers were found near the ground, but their numbers equalized across heights in the following years. Kernel smoothing revealed spatial dependence, and an autologistic model indicated an aggregated infection pattern with increased PLS risk for neighbouring plants. The border effect at the epidemic's onset was linked to pathogen entry via external vectors. The disease's progression along rows was attributed to effective mechanical pathogen transmission through pruning. Therefore, in regions with several summer prunings, it is recommended to sanitize pruning shears to prevent pathogen transmission. Constant monitoring and control of the vector are essential for effective disease management.

The border effect on Vietnam's trade balance with ASEAN countries

This article uses a panel data model, applying both the Fixed Effects Model (FEM) and the Random Effects Model (REM), to analyze how economic scale, tariffs, and geographic location affect Vietnam's trade balance with ASEAN countries. The findings show that the border effect has a stronger influence than other economic factors on Vietnam’s trade balance with these countries. Based on these results, the article suggests strategies for the Vietnamese government and export businesses to reduce the trade deficit with ASEAN nations. The aim is to increase the added value of Vietnam's imports and exports within ASEAN, supporting balanced growth in both intra-ASEAN and external trade.

The role of transportation connectivity in Vietnam’s trade with ASEAN countries

This article focuses on studying how transportation connectivity affects Vietnam’s trade with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. By using a gravity model, the article applies fixed effects (FE) and random effects (RE) to analyze panel data on trade, GDP, tariffs, border effects, and indicators. The number represents Vietnam’s transport connectivity with ASEAN countries from 2004 to 2021. Research results show that transport connectivity hurts Vietnam’s trade with other countries. ASEAN. The article proposes solutions for the Government and Vietnamese export enterprises to promote intra-ASEAN trade in the direction of increasing the added value of Vietnam’s imported and exported goods within ASEAN countries and balancing between Developing intra-ASEAN and foreign trade.

Maritime Security in the Caribbean: Causes and Impacts of the Regionalism of Small and Micro-States

ABSTRACT The global maritimization over the past half-century has heightened states vulnerability to maritime risks and threats, a situation particularly acute in the Wider Caribbean Region. This region, characterised by an important number of small and micro-states, faces a multitude of multiscalar maritime security challenges. In response, these states have increasingly adopted cooperative strategies, fostering close relationships to mitigate their shared vulnerabilities. Drawing on 98 interviews conducted between 2018 and 2023 with international, national, and local authorities, alongside extensive field observations, this article contributes to the scholarly discourse on regionalism. It demonstrates how a shared sense of vulnerability among these actors has fostered a ‘community of situation’, promoting intensified interactions that have led to notable advancements in regional integration and the diminishing of border effects. This study highlights the critical role of proximity-based cooperation in overcoming the geopolitical fragmentation that hampers security efforts in this region.

Administrative border effects in COVID-19 related mortality

Administrative border effects in COVID-19 related mortality

Virtually borderless? Cultural proximity and international collaboration of developers

Are national borders an impediment to online collaboration in the knowledge economy? Unlike in goods trade, knowledge workers can collaborate fully virtually, such that border effects might be eliminated. Here we study collaboration patterns of some 144,000 European developers on the largest online code repository platform, GitHub. To assess the presence of border effects we deploy a gravity model that explains developers’ inter-regional collaboration networks. We find a sizable border effect of −16.4%, which is, however, five to six times smaller than in trade. The border effect is entirely explained by cultural factors such as common language, shared interests, and historical ties. The international border effect in Europe is significantly larger than the state border effect in the US, where cross-border cultural differences are much less pronounced, further strengthening our conjecture that culture is a main driver of the border effect in virtual collaboration.

Crossed by the border: children’s lived experiences with flooding in an urbanized transborder watershed

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the differential effect of the US-Mexico border on the lived experience of children exposed to flooding risk in an urbanized transborder watershed. The central argument is that this geopolitical border is an institution generative of social and spatial processes that create and thrive on differences and expose children on both sides of the border to high but unequal hazard levels. We pose that children’s bifurcated experiences with rain evince the border’s structuring power as a supra institution producing a socio-spatial regime that enables environmental inequities producing disparate representations of place. Understanding children’s lived experiences is critical to reducing their vulnerability in a highly integrated cross-border urbanization. Framed as a case study based on qualitative data obtained through narratives and visual elicitation techniques, the analysis reveals children’s experiences with flooding and associated hazards that have not been exposed in prior border research and have important implications for integrated disaster management, environmental justice, and resilience in border regions and cities.

Central European elites in post-imperial transition: locality, agency, capital

ABSTRACT This article introduces the thematic dossier of the same title, consisting of five articles that present case studies of how the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the subsequent transition process reconfigured the role of locality in the generation of (local) elite roles and functions. Starting from Shamus Rahman Khan’s definition that posits elites as groups of people with access to capital that gives them an outsized role in decisions, the case studies from Romania, Austria and Czechoslovakia analyse how individuals could use, manage and transform various forms of capital, as well as how they retained, gained or lost elite position. The authors argue that a shift of scale to the local offers unique insights even for the broader study of elites. As no elites remained unchallenged during the transition, it was essential to be able to convert capital into new forms and adapt to new contexts, but the outcome of the process was not preordained by ethnicity or political views. Moreover, as states faced the task of integrating very inhomogeneous regions, transnational business networks struggled with border effects, local elites with strong capacity of social integration and individuals with knowledge of informal arrangements gained in reputation and trust from above that was often an important stepping stone from local to national or transnational elites too.

Transportation Infrastructure Upgrading, Border Effect, and Pollution Transfer: Evidence from China's Yangtze River Delta

Transportation Infrastructure Upgrading, Border Effect, and Pollution Transfer: Evidence from China's Yangtze River Delta

In Search of Actual Border in The Shadow Lines: A Geographical and Psychological Study

This qualitative research delves into the psychological demarcations within Amitav Ghosh’s “The Shadow Lines” by an intensive study of the characters’ intricate relationships with each other, creating a sense of internationalism. Set against the backdrop of the Indian subcontinent’s partition, the novel explores the artificial divisions of caste, nation, and identity, and their profound impacts on human relationships. This study examines both primary and secondary sources to dissect the intricate relationships among the characters, highlighting the devastating effects of psychological borders compared to physical ones. While geographical demarcations physically separate people, the psychological borders ingrained in individuals’ minds create deeper, more enduring divisions. This research underscores how these mental boundaries perpetuate alienation, contrasting with the moments of collective unity despite physical separations. Through a meticulous analysis of character dynamics, the paper argues that psychological borders are more harmful, influencing emotions and identities on a fundamental level. The study offers significant insights into the themes of identity, trauma, and demarcation in literature, contributing to a deeper understanding of how mental and social divisions shape human interactions and societal structures.

Estimating aboveground biomass of tropical urban forests with UAV-borne hyperspectral and LiDAR data

Urban trees and forests can contribute to climate change mitigation by sequestering carbon in their living tissues, with aboveground biomass (AGB) playing a pivotal role. This study explores the capability of UAV-borne hyperspectral and LiDAR data for estimating AGB in tropical urban forests. Structural attributes of trees, such as diameter at breast height (DBH), total height, and wood density, were collected from over 5600 individuals, forming a comprehensive AGB dataset. Our methodology included two primary AGB estimation strategies: an area-based strategy that correlated AGB with hyperspectral and canopy height data across various grid sizes and an individual tree crown (ITC)-based method that integrated canopy height, spectral signatures of individual trees and crown area. The findings indicate that increasing the grid size from 10 m to 50 m improved the R2 from 0.24 ± 0.04–0.61 ± 0.13, mainly due to reduced border effects. Furthermore, integrating canopy height and hyperspectral data enhanced the R2 of AGB estimates from 0.61 ± 0.13–0.70 ± 0.09 for a 50 × 50 m grid. Crucially, wavelengths centered at the green peak and red-edge were identified as key bands in AGB retrieval. Integrating hyperspectral and LiDAR data did not significantly enhance results for individual trees, where AGB was closely linked to tree height and crown area. This study underscores the potential of utilizing integrated UAV-borne sensors for biomass assessment in urban forest settings.

χ(2) and χ(3) enhancement by arylamine substituents in aromatic conjugated polyenyne polymers

In this work, we have determined the χ(1), χ(2), and χ(3) NLO properties of NH2substituted aromatic polyenynes in ortho, meta, and para positions. It is worth noting that Mednis-Genkin’s approximation takes into account the intraband contribution with a derivate of the dipole valence-conduction band moment transition, unlike, for example, Ward’s summation-over-sates (SOS) methodology, which considers the difference of these states. Indeed, we have selected these polymers because of the high asymmetry in their molecular wavefunction. In this way, the calculated χ(3) values of the para-NH2 substituted aromatic polyenyne with a higher degree of polymerization are near 1 X 10−7 esu. For its part, the ortho polymer has higher values, of the order of 1 X 10−6 esu, due to its high transition dipole moment. We have also found that the energy band distribution in the para position of these polymers produces van Hove points, which have a negligible proportion of the NLO properties, compared with singularity regions 1 and 2, which have a contribution of 100 %. These regions are due to the wavefunction coefficients’ first and second-order derivatives. Besides, without considering border effects nor correlation effects, and only the variation of excitation energy, we have calculated that the quaternary monomeric oligomers of these polymers have almost similar values of χ(2) and χ(3). Then, it implies building a methodology to synthesize the polymers to avoid canceling the NLO-χ(2) and -χ(3) values.

Powering bikeshare in New York City: does the usage of e-bikes differ from regular bikes?

ABSTRACT In this study, we investigate the difference between shared electric bicycles (e-bikes) and conventional shared bikes operated by Citi Bike in New York City. We examine differences in usage by examining summary statistics and we develop conditional autoregressive models to examine differences in factors associated with trip generation. These factors include bike infrastructure, subway proximity, area demographics, land use, and elevation. We also control for border effects by identifying peripheral stations. The percentage of e-bike trips fluctuates across hours of the day, with a peak around 3 PM but diminishes during peak commuting hours. We find mostly no significant differences in factors associated with the generation of trips between the two modes. Exceptions include a larger effect on e-bike trip generation when the daytime worker population is larger; other differences are due to the racial composition around the station area, some land use categories, and elevation differentials.

Border effects for domestic travel in China during COVID-19 pandemic

While numerous studies have evaluated the role of international borders, few efforts have been made to assess the influence of domestic borders on travel during COVID-19. In China, the nearly three-year travel control, starting in early 2020, has caused considerable fluctuations in public perceptions and sentiments. Domestic travel behaviors were disrupted, and in some regions, even reshaped. This study evaluates border effects for domestic travel in China from 2019 to 2021. Utilizing short-term intercity travel flow data obtained from Baidu Map, we configured and performed a series of modified gravity models to reveal provincial border effects at three levels of detail. Several major conclusions can be drawn from the results: First, there is a consistent border effect on domestic travel within China, both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. Second, border effects are directional, as they vary for inbound and outbound travel and depend on the origin and destination. Third, border effects exhibit clear spatial patterns that are associated with location and travel distance. Fourth, the impacts of COVID-19 on border effects are predominantly temporary; however, in some instances, they may be long-term. The results highlight the necessity of considering borders when estimating travel flows using spatial interaction models. This study also sheds light on related policymaking, as restricting or loosening travel controls at borders can have profound impacts on economic activities and disease transmission.

A typology of residents’ travel safety perceptions and geopolitical border hesitancy

Global crises prime travel safety perceptions and foster hesitancy to cross intra- and inter-country borders, significantly shifting travel flows. Tourism's post-crisis recovery is typically driven by domestic travel while international travel returns lag, leading many tourism destination managers to monitor resident travel safety perceptions and willingness to welcome domestic and international visitors. This study uses latent class analysis to model heterogeneity in travel safety perceptions among residents during the most recent global crisis and to profile the characteristics of people with different travel safety perceptions to understand the influence of geopolitical borders. Parameter estimates support a five-cluster typology of Unfettered Travel, Nationwide Travel, Cautioned Travel, Averse To All Travel, and Localized Travel. All clusters feel safest traveling in their community and least safe traveling internationally, similarly for welcoming visitors. Notably, crossing a border, even within one's province and country where boundaries are invisible, causes feelings of safety to decline. The results reveal the significant impact on travel sentiments of geography and borders between communities and provinces where traffic may flow without formal customs requirements. The effect of intra-country borders provides new insight into domestic travel flows.

Subaltern Politics at Urban Borderlands

Cities around the world are developed through modern/colonial boundaries between the formal/informal, private/public, vehicular/pedestrian, secular/religious, human/nonhuman, or new/old. Postcolonial and decolonial theorists have demonstrated how borders have served the colonial control of the city through the state apparatus, where differences have reinforced inequalities rather than engendering an open city. While politics between the two sides of the border is often explored, this article draws attention to the rather underacknowledged role of material assemblages at urban borderlands in making room for subaltern agencies to come into being. To do so, I first demonstrate the bordering effects of modern planning practices through an example of real-estate advertisements. Later, I focus on four urban borderlands, namely walls, <em>mandals </em>(socio-religious organisations), hillslopes and rivulet banks, and alleyways. Through ethnographic research on two slum rehabilitation projects in Pune, India, I show that the spatiality and temporality produced by these borderlands transcend modern boundaries while making room for subaltern agencies. Walls are used for bending the fixed spatiality of modern apartment buildings; <em>mandals </em>engender a spatiotemporal structure that straddles the religious/secular boundary; hillslopes and rivulet banks support the permanent temporariness of the self-built neighbourhoods; and alleyways allow the public and the private to flow into one another. Here, subaltern agencies effectively transgress modern borders, not by rejecting them but by inhabiting them to make an alternative and open city possible. In effect, this article argues that urban borderlands make visible subaltern agencies that have the potential to dislodge urban theory and practice from their colonial modernist legacy.

Border effects on the ground state of an ultrathin magnetic film model

Border effects on the ground state of an ultrathin magnetic film model