Open Borders Research Articles

ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA- NIGER REPUBLIC BORDER SECURITY

This is an open border where contact is predominant and does not function as barrier between the two countries. It is a unique zone of cultural similarities, language, law as well as condition of trade, work, and life. This border is the location for the most intense interactions between the two populations. The border has the highest level of cross-border movement of border residents. Security challenge across this border is attributed to a constant movement of people and goods. This paper is on the issues and challenges of security and social stability along Nigeria-Niger Republic International border. It argues that amongst the various challenges to border security and social stability along the border, corruption, insecurity, porous nature of the border and uncontrollable movement of people are responsible. The persistence of these grim issues makes the border tumbled pathway to heightened state of insecurity and social instability across the border. This is in view of the numerous activities taking place across this border posing security threat. The paper employs reactive re-active model approach as a variant of linkage theory as a tool in understanding the study. Qualitative method was employed for this study. The paper concludes and recommends the study.

The role of local government as a stabilizer of the functioning of the state in the period of political and systemic crisis in Poland

In the 2018–2022 (2023) term of office of local government bodies, numerous cases of transferring problems generated by national policy to local governments can be indicated. The commune self-government, being the entity closest to the citizens in terms of handling most matters, experiences the effects of actions taken at the level of systemic and national regulations, as well as being the object of specific actions initiated at the central level. Among the numerous challenges in which the local government plays a stabilizing role in the state, taking over responsibility for solving problems in emergency situations, it is worth paying attention to the activities related to helping refugees after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The decision of the Polish government to open borders to millions of refugees was not preceded by proper preparation. The assumption of this analysis is based on the claim that without bottom-up activation of the local government and its organizational units as well as inhabitants of communes, accepting the largest number of refugees in the history of Poland could have caused the paralysis of the state and a humanitarian crisis. The main question is whether we can talk about the success of the government or the local government in this matter.

The role of local government as a stabilizer of the functioning of the state in the period of political and systemic crisis in Poland

In the 2018–2022 (2023) term of office of local government bodies, numerous cases of transferring problems generated by national policy to local governments can be indicated. The commune self-government, being the entity closest to the citizens in terms of handling most matters, experiences the effects of actions taken at the level of systemic and national regulations, as well as being the object of specific actions initiated at the central level. Among the numerous challenges in which the local government plays a stabilizing role in the state, taking over responsibility for solving problems in emergency situations, it is worth paying attention to the activities related to helping refugees after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The decision of the Polish government to open borders to millions of refugees was not preceded by proper preparation. The assumption of this analysis is based on the claim that without bottom-up activation of the local government and its organizational units as well as inhabitants of communes, accepting the largest number of refugees in the history of Poland could have caused the paralysis of the state and a humanitarian crisis. The main question is whether we can talk about the success of the government or the local government in this matter.

CSE 2023 Annual Meeting: Reflecting on Community: Opening Borders in Scholarly Publishing

The 2023 CSE Annual Meeting will take place April 29–May 2 in Toronto, Ontario. An exciting destination for attendees, the city of Toronto offers a variety of attractions, collaborative venues, multicultural communities, and culinary experiences. This year’s meeting will be a fully in-person event. We are excited to return to an in-person format in 2023 and will be offering multiple short courses, roundtable discussions, poster presentations, and networking options. Opportunities to attend CSE events virtually will be available during the CSE Fall Virtual Symposium and the CSE Webinar and Connect events throughout the year. As Program Co-Chairs, we are thrilled not only about the destination of this year’s meeting but also about the scope of content currently being developed. The scholarly publishing industry has experienced rapid evolution in recent years. As we look to the future, the resources of CSE continue to be invaluable to scientific communication education, networking, and engagement. The theme for the 2023 annual meeting is “Reflecting on Community: Opening Borders in Scholarly Publishing.” Part of our inspiration for this theme comes from the city of Toronto itself. The charming location boasts an inspiring motto: “Diversity Our Strength.” The CSE Program Committee has been working with individuals who submitted session proposals and moderators to develop an excellent slate of educational sessions around this theme. The program for the annual meeting will cover topics such as open access; managing society and publishing relationships; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; ethics and research integrity; as well as other critical topics […]

Association Between Parapapillary Microvasculature Dropout and Central Retinal Vessel Trunk in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.

Central retinal vessel trunk displacement is an important factor in the generation and development of deep-layer microvasculature dropout in primary open angle glaucoma. To investigate the association between the microvasculature dropout and the central retinal vessel trunk in primary open angle glaucoma eyes. In total, 112 eyes from 112 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were included. Matched 26 no microvasculature dropout eyes and 26 microvasculature dropout eyes, they had similar axial length and global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness. Central retinal vessel trunk shift index was calculated as the distance of the central retinal vessel trunk from the Bruch membrane opening center relative to that of the Bruch membrane opening border. The correlation of the presence, extent, and location of microvasculature dropout and the displacement extent and location of the central retina vessel trunk was analyzed. The central retinal vessel trunk shift index differed significantly between the 2 matched groups. Multivariate logistic analyses showed that in 112 eyes from 112 patients, eyes with microvasculature dropout was significantly associated with larger shift index than eyes without microvasculature dropout. The angular circumference of microvasculature dropout was significantly associated with adjusted shift index (a linear mixed model was constructed, exclude the influence of axial length and global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness on shift index). The location of the microvasculature dropout and central retinal vessel trunk contralateral were significantly correlated. In primary open angle glaucoma eyes, microvasculature dropout and the central retinal vessel trunk were significantly correlated. Because the central retinal vessel trunk represents the structural stability of the lamina cribrosa, microvasculature dropout seems to correlate with lamina cribrosa's structural stability.

Facilitating free travel in the Schengen area—A position paper by the European Association for Biometrics

AbstractDue to migration, terror‐threats and the viral pandemic, various EU member states have re‐established internal border control or even closed their borders. European Association for Biometrics (EAB), a non‐profit organisation, solicited the views of its members on ways which biometric technologies and services may be used to help with re‐establishing open borders within the Schengen area while at the same time mitigating any adverse effects. From the responses received, this position paper was composed to identify ideas to re‐establish free travel between the member states in the Schengen area. The paper covers the contending needs for security, open borders and fundamental rights as well as legal constraints that any technological solution must consider. A range of specific technologies for direct biometric recognition alongside complementary measures are outlined. The interrelated issues of ethical and societal considerations are also highlighted. Provided a holistic approach is adopted, it may be possible to reach a more optimal trade‐off with regards to open borders while maintaining a high‐level of security and protection of fundamental rights. European Association for Biometrics and its members can play an important role in fostering a shared understanding of security and mobility challenges and their solutions.

Propagatorzy kultury polskiej w Wilnie i ich rola w krzewieniu polskości w niepodległej Litwie

The regaining of independence by Lithuania brought the Polish national minority a significant improvement in terms of the possibility of developing their own culture. This was particularly influenced by the opening of borders, which allowed closer contacts with Poland and Poles scattered around the world. This contributed to the creation of new Polish organizations, and above all to the construction of the Polish Cultural Centre in Vilnius, which became a place of cultural meetings. These activities were favourable for maintaining and developing national awareness, preserving and passing on identity to future generations. A special role in this process was played by people who, with their hard work and actions, put a lot of effort into promoting their native language and culture. Thanks to their efforts, Polish culture in Lithuania survived and stood out from other national minorities in these areas. Everyone who met these extraordinary people on their way tried to follow them and take care of the beautiful Polish culture and, just like them, pass it on to their surroundings. It should be noted that there are factors that unite people who identify with one nation and culture. Certainly, for Poles living in the Republic of Lithuania such factors included language, religion, literature, national songs and dances. Therefore, the activity of Polish song and dance ensembles, amateur theatres, various associations and cultural institutions, which particularly cultivated Polish culture, and by passing it on to the next generations, protected them from denationalisation.

Mental Health Responses to Covid and Lock-down in Auckland, New Zealand

IntroductionThe Government of New Zealand closed the borders and introduced a number of restrictions following the first reported case of Covid-19 in February 2020. Comprehensive measures to control the outbreak included a strict managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) system and rolling lockdowns that restricted movement. There were concerns about the mental health impact on the population. This presentation will outline the approach to maintaining social cohesion and supporting the psycho-social needs of the population through the pandemic.ObjectivesAn overview of the Covid-19 response will be presented, including the Covid-19 alert systems and the strategies to support particular populations.MethodsThis will include:1. The mental health support for the 229,000 people subjected to managed isolation and quarantine in government facilities2. Psycho-social interventions for our Maori and Pacific populations3. Specific approaches for people with severe mental disorders, including vaccination strategies and supporting people in the community with Covid-194. Interventions for homeless and socially vulnerable populationsResultsReflections and learnings from our apprach will be shared.ConclusionsThe government ended the Covid-19 Framework in September 2022 and retrurned to fully open borders in October 2022. There have been over 1.8 million cases and 2000 deaths during the period of restrictions.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Cost benefit analysis of alternative testing and quarantine policies for travelers for infection control: A case study of Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Border control mitigates local infections but bears a heavy economic cost, especially for tourism-reliant countries. While studies have supported the efficacy of border control in suppressing cross-border transmission, the trade-off between costs from imported and secondary cases and from lost economic activities has not been studied. This case study of Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic aims to understand the impacts of varying quarantine length and testing strategies on the economy and health system. Additionally, we explored the impact of permitting unvaccinated travelers to address emerging equity concerns. We assumed that community transmission is stable and vaccination rates are high enough that inbound travelers are not dissuaded from traveling. The number of travelers was predicted considering that longer quarantine reduces willingness to travel. A micro-simulation model predicted the number of COVID-19 cases among travelers, the resultant secondary cases, and the probability of being symptomatic in each group. The incremental net monetary benefit (INB) of Singapore was quantified under each border-opening policy compared to pre-opening status, based on tourism receipts, cost/profit from testing and quarantine, and cost and health loss due to COVID-19 cases. Compared to polymerase chain reaction (PCR), rapid antigen test (ART) detects fewer imported cases but results in fewer secondary cases. Longer quarantine results in fewer cases but lower INB due to reduced tourism receipts. Assuming the proportion of unvaccinated travelers is small (8% locally and 24% globally), allowing unvaccinated travelers will accrue higher INB without exceeding the intensive care unit (ICU) capacity. The highest monthly INB from all travelers is $2,236.24 m, with 46.69 ICU cases per month, achieved with ARTs at pre-departure and on arrival without quarantine. The optimal policy in terms of highest INB is robust under changes to various model assumptions. Among all cost-benefit components, the top driver for INB is tourism receipts. With high vaccination rates locally and globally alongside stable community transmission, opening borders to travelers regardless of vaccination status will increase economic growth in the destination country. The caseloads remain manageable without exceeding ICU capacity, and costs of cases are offset by the economic value generated from travelers.

International water law and hydropolitics: an enquiry into the water conflict between India and Nepal

ABSTRACT Despite an open border, shared culture, religious ties and strong people-to-people connectivity, governance of transboundary water resources has often led to diplomatic conflicts between India and Nepal. It is not unusual for hydro-development projects between the two to run into delays or opposition, despite great domestic need for water and electricity in both countries. Using fieldwork in Delhi and Kathmandu, this paper illustrates the factors that impede cooperation between the two sides on shared rivers and how the inadequacies of international water laws manifest themselves in bilateral negotiations on water governance. The paper locates the benefit-sharing framework in international water law using the case studies of the Pancheshwar and the SaptaKoshi–SunKoshi Project in the Mahakali and Koshi basins.

Changes in Global Power Relations, Geopolitical Complexity and Nepal's National Security Challenges


 There are clear signs that the balance of power in the globe is shifting. The USA, an established superpower, and China, a developing superpower, are vying for the world's attention. Eventually, Russia is showing strength to establish herself as one of the other axis powers to transform the global order from unipolar to multipolar. India, Nepal's immediate neighbor with an open border and decades-old, strong bilateral links, is also evolving into a regional power, or at the very least, is on track to appear as the world's second-largest economy in near future. In this juncture, Nepal is more of security significance to China, India, and the US due to its geostrategic location. Nepal, which is constrained by a number of treaties with India, has already declared its support for both the US Millennium Challenge Corporation and China's Belt and Road Initiative. The New World Order has seen a new regional security climate in South Asia and growing polarization leading to large power rivalry forming a China-India plus the US . Additionally, attempts are being made to strengthen the security ties between the US and Nepal through the State Partnership Program (SPP) and with China through the Chinese Global Security Initiative (GSI), both of which may pose serious challenges to Nepal's national security. Thus, Nepal must maintain strict nonalignment foreign policy, increase the use of soft powers, and take a proactive, impartial, and balanced attitude in its diplomatic operations in order to face the expanding national security challenges resulted from geopolitical complexity. Also, Nepal needs to maintain strategic balance among the great powers, promoting the value of green energy and nurturing soft power. For Nepal, accomplishments of such goals and objectives through the preservation of the Himalayas, promoting Nepal's rich cultural heritage of the Buddha and accelerating mililtary diplomacy in the UNPKO have been indispensable. Nepal's foreign and national security policy should be both inside and outward looking, fostering her regional and the multilateral engagements in SAARC, BIMSTEC, Shanghai Cooperation, and the United Nations.

Introducing the Idea of Border Governance for Nepal-India Open Border

The process of globalization, with the flow of people, merchandise, and capital, has invited different challenges, threats, and insecurities. Thus, the idea of border governance has emerged among the states, calling for a collaborative approach to border management systems between the neighboring states. As a qualitative study adhering to the "practice turn" in International Relations (IR) and considering human actions responsible for constructing social realities, the study has focused on the Nepal-India open border. As a unique border, the study has pointed out different threats and challenges faced by Nepal and India because of their openness. The article has briefly elucidated the emerging concept of border governance. Likewise, it has introduced the idea of border governance for Nepal-India open borders, outlining its principles and strategies. Overall, the study emphasized the importance of border governance for Nepal-India borders, recognizing border disputes and enormous challenges.

Multiculturalism as a cultural, social and political phenomenon

Modern humans live in a highly culturally, socially and religiously diverse world. The popularity of the phenomenon of multiculturalism is the result of rapidly progressing globalisation, migration, opening borders or the result of wars. On the one hand, such multiculturalism enriches societies, on the other hand, due to this diversity, it can lead to the emergence of new conflicts. This is due to the different value systems of people living next to each other. The article is an overview and refers to the analysis of three selected approaches to multiculturalism: cultural, social and political. The aim of the article is to draw the reader's attention to the broad context of the analysed phenomenon, its diversity, multicolour and educational challenges faced by educators as a result of this phenomenon.

Nepal’s Foreign Trade: Prospects and Problems

The aim of this article is to explore the situation of Nepal’s foreign trade, its significance, prospects of foreign trade expansion and problems with regard to international trade. The study is based on secondary data, collected from library and internet of last 11 years. Efforts have been made to detect the prospects as well as problems of Nepal’s foreign trade. This study keeps value in promoting foreign trade by finding the various possibilities and problems of Nepal’s foreign trade. It is found that Nepal’s foreign trade suffers from many problems such as open border, landlocked country, lack of trade diversification, high cost of production etc. causing trade deficit and has good prospects in different sectors such as hydro-electric, forest, mineral resources, tourism, etc. to develop and promote foreign trade. Among the various alternatives, diversification of trade in terms of countries and goods is one way to overcome the problems of trade deficit.

Untangling Invasive Narratives: Boundaries, Belonging, and Narrative Agency

ABSTRACT This article explores the ways that stories about boundaries and belonging are bound up with cultural narrative frames that set the stage for the interpretation of new, or often recreated, accounts. I use the term “invasive narrative,” to refer to the force with which these narratives can invade and shape interpretations of unfolding situations. These disputes are entangled with broader narratives that provoke ambivalence toward open borders, migration, as well as cultural and biological fluidity. Narratives can be “invasive” in another sense when they dwell on the apparent unnatural, intrusive, and unwelcome elements of a species’ presence – a label that can also be used to target native species that have reemerged after a long absence. To explore these concepts, I examine the blurring, substitutions, and differentiations between wild species and human migrant/foreigner/other categories with regard to public debates on conservation, migration, and identity in Poland. These accounts are significant because they promote fear and radically exclusionary concepts of belonging and are linked to acts of violence. Here I examine conflicts between fishermen and conservationists, including the inflammatory comments of an extreme nationalist politician and the illegal killings of protected Baltic grey seals.

International Taxation, Globalization, and the Economic Digital Divide

ABSTRACT The past decade has witnessed the creation of a new international tax regime. The original international tax regime was created a century ago by the League of Nations. Until the 1980s, it functioned reasonably well and prevented most instances of double taxation and double non-taxation by allocating cross-border income between home and host jurisdictions based on a compromise reached in 1923. However, since the advent of globalization in the 1980s and digitalization in the 1990s, the original international tax regime ceased to function as intended. The main problems were the increased mobility of capital related to increased intangibility and digitalization, together with a relaxation of capital controls and increased tax competition. These developments posed a problem for countries that wished to leave their borders open to reap the benefits of globalization and to engage in tax competition to attract investment. The outcome was a significant fall in tax revenues that threatened the social safety net of the modern welfare state. The trilemma of open borders, tax competition, and satisfying voters’ demand for social insurance culminated in the financial crisis of 2008–09, where many countries were forced to implement austerity measures at the same time that parliamentary hearings, leaks, and media reports revealed that rich individuals and large corporations were paying very little tax on cross-border income. The results over the past decade have been the creation of a new international tax regime designed to curb both tax evasion by the rich and tax competition among countries seeking to attract business activity within their borders by granting various preferential tax provisions to multinational enterprises. The key question going forward is how the new international tax regime will deal with international (in)equity, i.e. the economic digital divide. In what follows, I will first discuss the decline of the original international tax regime from 1980 to 2009, then the creation of the new international tax regime from 2010 on, and finally the implications of the new international tax regime for the economic digital divide.

Mobile Commoning from the Margins to the Fore? Hostipitality on the Polish-Belarusian and Polish-Ukrainian Borders (2021–2022)

The article was written as an intervention piece in the midst of the massive escape of war refugees to Poland during the first four weeks of the war in Ukraine (24 February-24 March 2022). It aims to map and discuss the condition of grassroots hospitality (and inhospitality) in Poland between Autumn 2021 and Spring 2022. It was a time of shifting context in terms of policies: from the state of exception, migrant push-backs, and walling the border with Belarus, to the policy of solidarity with war refugees, legitimized humanitarianism and open border with Ukraine. In the course of half a year, the frames of bottom-up hospitality on Eastern borders of Poland changed entirely and abruptly. When a couple of thousands of migrants from the Middle East and beyond were camping in the border zone between Belarus and Poland, unable to claim asylum in the EU, practices of solidarity from the bottom up were barely tolerated by Polish state, if not criminalized and condemned. In these realities, structures of support remained an informal, fugitive, and underground network. But with the Russian attack on Ukraine on 24th February 2022, Poland opened its border for the unprecedented arrival of over two million people (during first month of the war) and bottom-up solidarity became a massive response of Polish society, which started to organize shelters, transportation, food and medicines. The same politicians and media which were fighting hospitality to migrants — in terms of ‘crimes of solidarity’ — on the border with Belarus, this time welcomed it with enthusiasm and support. The article proposes to view the nascent rise of grassroots hospitality with Ukrainian migrants in terms of ‘mobile commoning’: precarious, makeshift and autonomous practices of solidarity with people on the move. Mobile commoning is considered here as potential basis for a different migration policy in the EU. At the same time, the Polish case is analyzed as an instructive study of the limits of political universalism which are constructed at and by the borders.

Development of the Web-based State Border Geoinformation System of the Republic of Croatia (SBGiS)

The development of the State Border Geoinformation System of the Republic of Croatia (SBGiS), based on open-source technologies, has facilitated and accelerated the storage, processing, handling, analysis and visualization of large amounts of spatial data used in open border issues, as well as standard affairs on maintaining the regulated state border of the Republic of Croatia. Centralized data storage and their spatial visualization through an interactive map allows citizens to see the situation at the state border in real time, which significantly increases the safety of movement in the border zone, but also aids in the prevention of state border breaches. The SBGiS is the only system that has been established not only for maintaining a regulated state border but also for resolving border disputes and delimitation procedures. At the end of the paper, a proposal for future system upgrades is given.

Republicanism and the legitimacy of state border controls

ABSTRACT A number of recent articles have invoked the republican ideal of non-domination to justify either open borders, and/or the reduction of states’ discretionary powers to unilaterally determine immigration policy. In this paper, I show that such arguments are one-sided, as they fail to fully account for the deep ambiguity of the very ideal which they invoke. In fact, non-domination lends just as powerful support to maintaining state border controls as it does to dismantling them. There are only two exceptions to the rule. It is well established that promoting non-domination demands, one the one hand, that refugees be admitted, and second, that all migrants have a right to contest decisions concerning their own admission. But aside from these things, the policy implications of the ideal are unclear. In itself, therefore, it is insufficient to justify either open borders, or the reduction of states said discretionary powers. Such arguments will have to rely on other, additional moral criteria.

Compliance with the principles of social responsibility in e-commerce

The article defines the essence of e-commerce, as well as the factors that determine its popularity among entrepreneurs, retailers and consumers around the world. The factors that identified the dynamic development of e-commerce in almost all regions of the world have been identified. E-commerce opens up significant opportunities for both the average consumer and business – the rapid development of logistics, the openness of borders, and an almost unlimited contact audience. The article analyzes the trends in the development of this sphere of business in the context of regions of the world is carried out, a ranking of countries by the share of retail sales of e-commerce is presented. It is established that China occupies the leading position, whose share in online trading was 52.1%. In general, it should be noted that the Asia-Pacific region is striking in its pace and scale of development of e-commerce. Stable dynamics of online sales also demonstrate the United States. In Latin America, the e-commerce market is poorly developed and uneven. Only six countries demonstrate sustainable results and transaction volumes (Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru). As for Africa, the e-commerce market is just beginning to grow and is currently significantly behind the world leaders. The main obstacles to the dynamic development of e-commerce are as follows: limited possibilities of logistics of goods, insufficient distribution of the Internet among the population, lack or restriction of access to online payment services and lack/insufficient level of trust in online trading. The rapid development of e-commerce has also gained in European countries. The article determines that in the context of the countries of the world, e-commerce develops disproportionately, there are main players that determine trends and influence the rules of electronic commerce. The dynamic development of e-commerce in Ukraine began in 2016. After joining the Free Trade Area with the EU. The development of e-commerce provides unprecedented means and opportunities for the development of world trade. The study considers indicators for assessing the level of readiness of the country for e-business: the state of basic infrastructure and technologies in the country; availability of the necessary infrastructure; distribution channels and development of other sectors; the level of use of the Internet by private business; awareness and availability of consulting services; quality of specialist training; state regulation. It is specified that the social position of e-commerce should consist in harmonious coexistence, interaction and constant dialogue with society, participation in solving social problems.