Border Restrictions Research Articles

Selective border permeability: Governing complex environmental issues through and beyond COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the permeability of borders in transboundary environmental governance regimes. While borders have always been selectively permeable, the pandemic has reconfigured the nature of cross-border flows of people, natural resources, finances and technologies. This has altered the availability of spaces for enacting sustainability initiatives within and between countries. In Southeast Asia, national governments and businesses seeking to expedite economic recovery from the pandemic-induced recession have selectively re-opened borders by accelerating production and revitalizing agro-export growth. Widening regional inequities have also contributed to increased cross-border flows of illicit commodities, such as trafficked wildlife. At the same time, border restrictions under the exigencies of controlling the pandemic have led to a rolling back and scaling down of transboundary environmental agreements, regulations and programs, with important implications for environmental democracy, socio-ecological justice and sustainability. Drawing on evidence from Southeast Asia, the article assesses the policy challenges and opportunities posed by the shifting permeability of borders for organising and operationalising environmental activities at different scales of transboundary governance.

Can university-industry-government collaborations drive a 3D printing revolution in Africa? A triple helix model of technological leapfrogging in additive manufacturing

The protracted disruption of Covid-19 pandemic on global supply chains has renewed calls for a new model of manufacturing that removes the need for centralised high-volume production and large inventory stocking. Drawing ideas from the Triple Helix model of university-industry-government innovation, this paper analyses the prospects for a 3D manufacturing revolution in Africa, a continent which was was disproportionately affected in the rounds of international border restrictions imposed in response to the Omicron variant of the virus. Taking a conceptual approach supported with case illustrations, the paper reviews the evolution of 3D printing technologies, the disruptive impact they have had on the traditional supply chain and the global expansion of the 3D printing market. Highlighting the favourable conditions for technological leapfrogging within the African context, the paper proposes a new integrative framework that explains how the emergence of new hybrid organisations from the Triple Helix can drive a promising manufacturing future for the continent -with small and medium enterprises playing a key role.

A COVID-19 vaccination model for Aotearoa New Zealand

We develop a mathematical model to estimate the effect of New Zealand’s vaccine rollout on the potential spread and health impacts of COVID-19. The main purpose of this study is to provide a basis for policy advice on border restrictions and control measures in response to outbreaks that may occur during the vaccination roll-out. The model can be used to estimate the theoretical population immunity threshold, which represents a point in the vaccine rollout at which border restrictions and other controls could be removed and only small, occasional outbreaks would take place. We find that, with a basic reproduction number of 6, approximately representing the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, and under baseline vaccine effectiveness assumptions, reaching the population immunity threshold would require close to 100% of the total population to be vaccinated. Since this coverage is not likely to be achievable in practice, relaxing controls completely would risk serious health impacts. However, the higher vaccine coverage is, the more collective protection the population has against adverse health outcomes from COVID-19, and the easier it will become to control outbreaks. There remains considerable uncertainty in model outputs, in part because of the potential for the evolution of new variants. If new variants arise that are more transmissible or vaccine resistant, an increase in vaccine coverage will be needed to provide the same level of protection.

The Erosion of Borderless Norden? Practices and Discourses on Nordic Border Restrictions in Finland and Sweden during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Nordic countries are part of the borderless Schengen Area, but free movement in the Nordic countries, or Norden, dates back even further: no border controls or restrictions on workers’ movements have existed since the entry into force of the Nordic labour market and passport union in 1958. This article outlines how Finland and its neighbour Sweden, the only Nordic country to keep borders open for Finland in 2020, approached closed borders in Norden during the Covid-19 pandemic, when free movement of Nordic citizens was suspended for the first time in almost 70 years, to be restored only in summer 2021. The article examines the Finnish and Swedish border practices and political debates. Parliamentary discourses are analysed from the perspective of two ideal types of argumentation, namely utilitarian and deontological, arguing that the suspension of free movement leaves long-lasting scars in the trust of both politicians and citizens in interaction across borders.

Rethinking the space of the migrant shelter in Mexico: humanitarian and security implications in the practices of bordering

ABSTRACT Using a critical border, feminist perspective, this article analyzes the role of the migrant shelter as a practitioner community actively involved in the dialogue of borders and directly affected by the restrictive border policies that are implemented against ‘unauthorized’ migrants in the name of national security. Based on field research carried out in Mexico, this article examines how borders affect the shelters used by ‘transit’ migrants. Specifically, since the Programa Frontera Sur [Southern Border Plan] policy was implemented in Mexico in the summer of 2014, migrant shelters have taken a more engaged role with respect to protection and assistance for ‘unauthorized’ migrants. Within this migratory context, temporary migrant shelters are transforming into more permanent spaces. At the same time, however, despite good intentions, migrants continue to face particular challenges in migrant shelters with respect to constraining rules, which sheds light on the power relations at play in these spaces of migration.

Jet fuel demand hit by Omicron; recovery delayed until 2023/2024

Jet fuel demand hit by Omicron; recovery delayed until 2023/2024

Why Migration Justice Still Requires Open Borders

ABSTRACTI revisit themes from Against Borders: Why the World Needs Free Movement of People (2020) in dialogue with Gillian Brock's Justice of People on the Move (2020) and Sarah Song's Immigration and Democracy (2019). We share the conviction that current border regimes are deeply unjust but differ in what migration justice requires. Brock and Song continue to give states significant discretion to exclude people from entering and settling in their territories, whereas I contend that migration justice demands open borders. I reject the claim that state self‐determination justifies migration restrictions. Central arguments for open borders highlight the role that restrictive border controls and the state category of ‘immigrant’ play in upholding racialised hierarchies and exploitative economic relations, as well as in inflicting violence against mobile people.

COVID-19 Vaccination and Border Restrictions; Evaluation and Outlook on Health and Socio-economic Systems in Pacific Island Countries and Territories

COVID-19 Vaccination and Border Restrictions; Evaluation and Outlook on Health and Socio-economic Systems in Pacific Island Countries and Territories

A COVID-19 State of Exception and the Bordering of Canada’s Immigration System: Assessing the Uneven Impacts on Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrant Workers

Responses to COVID-19 have been characterized by rapid border closures that have transformed the pandemic from a crisis of health to a crisis of mobility. While Canada was quick to implement border restrictions for non-citizens like refugees and asylum seekers, exemptions were made for some migrant groups like temporary workers. The pandemic marked a departure from who is considered worthy of admission to Canada. In fact, the border through restricted and securitized measures has filtered desirable versus non-desirable migrants, creating a hierarchy among migrants within Canada’s immigration system by categorizing groups into those deserving versus non-deserving of admission. Deeply embedded societal discrimination and structural inequalities means that COVID-19 has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of migrant groups more than others. COVID-19 has placed an uneven burden on refugees who face increased border restrictions, significant health and safety risks, and limitations in accessing human rights. This paper documents the challenges, social and economic impacts, and exacerbated vulnerabilities border closures have imposed on refugees, asylum seekers and temporary migrants. We assess the many challenges that COVID-19 has created at the intersection of border studies, security resilience and human rights. We employ the conceptual frame of security resilience to critically analyse the dynamics of how and why border strategies have restricted migrant groups in times of crisis and amounted to an unjustified weakening of refugee rights. Finally, we argue that social resilience, which is rooted in rights-based strategies, not only ensures that societies are prepared to meet external shocks and disruptions, but that policy responses mitigate societal discrimination and inequalities. We highlight these strategies as effective mechanisms for reconciling both public health concerns and the rights of migrants to create more cohesive societies in times of crisis.

Markups and export behavior: Firm‐level evidence from the French food processing industry

AbstractThe relationship between a firm's markups and its export behavior is highly relevant to individual firms' strategic decisions as well as to governments' policies regarding competition. We investigate the impact of markups on firms' decisions to export and resulting export intensity in the French food processing industry. Moreover, we assess the effect of entry into and remaining in the export market on firms' markups and evaluate differences in markups between exporters and non‐exporters. Our results suggest that higher markups lead to both increased participation in the export market and greater export intensity. In addition, we find that firms obtain higher markups by entering and remaining in the export market. Finally, our results suggest that exporters generate higher markups, on average, than non‐exporters. Similar results are found when controlling for differences in firms' productivity. Our findings suggest that trade policies designed to increase firms' participation in export markets, such as limits to border restrictions, may counteract domestic competition policies targeted at price–cost margins.

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands Joseph Daniel Foukona (bio) As in the previous year, Solomon Islands politics in 2021 continued to be fundamentally colored by the People's Republic of China (PRC)'s direct diplomatic presence in the country since September 2019 and the global upheaval caused by the covid-19 pandemic. The PRC is deliberately expanding its reach across the Pacific as it seeks to attain influence over what has long been a region dominated by other global powers. The deleterious effects of the covid-19 pandemic on economies across the globe have also caused some drawing back by countries hitherto deeply involved in the Pacific. These factors have been central to the policy of the ruling Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (dcga) and the responses of domestic political actors, which have generated political divisions and mistrust at the national and subnational levels. The government's 2021 budget focus on funding key redirection policy priorities has prompted a Honiara-centric approach. Together, these policies, as well as infrastructure projects, have created a setting in which policy and political dynamics have become highly fragmented, with the dominance of the capital enforced by the declaration of a nationwide state of public emergency. This declaration was justified by the economic crisis brought about by the effects of covid-19 on Solomon Islands. The Central Bank of Solomon Islands' monthly economic bulletins for January and February indicated a decrease in the country's production index, which was due to the weak performance of all major commodities. The bank estimated that the domestic economy would "grow by 0.4 percent in 2021, down from the initially projected growth of 1.5 percent" (cbsi 2021b). Such change in the real gdp resulted from the "prolonged impact of covid-19 pandemic, border restrictions and weaker-than-expected performances across broad sectors of the economy" (cbsi 2021b). To manage the country's dire economic situation, the dcga introduced a new budget strategy in 2021 with the theme "Towards a Path to Economic Recovery: Advancing Growth and Services Delivery Through Better Partnerships" (Solomon Star 2021a). These "partnerships" included the hitherto less visible PRC. In order to implement the budget theme, the government used what officials called its "redirection policy," which they claimed aimed both to protect Solomon Islanders "from the spread of the covid 19 pandemic and to keep the domestic economy afloat and to accelerate recovery" (Solomon Star 2021a). The government faced a big income deficit in 2021 due mostly to the [End Page 490] effects of the pandemic. As a result of the drop in domestic income from taxes and weak economic production, the minister of finance and treasury stated in his 2021 budget speech that the new budget planned for an overall government deficit of si$329 million (us$41.1 million). This deficit meant that the overall revenue expected by the government, an estimated si$3.710 billion (us$460 million), would total only si$3.009 billion (us$380 million) of domestic government revenue. The remaining balance would have to be sourced domestically and from traditional multilateral and bilateral partners (Kuma 2021). "Budget Support Revenue from Donor partners is $259 million, $90 million support from the People's Republic of China, $12 million for the Economic Stimulus Package, and $341 million in development financing sourced from bilateral and development partners. The Total Development Budget for 2021 is $938 million of which $848 million is sig [Solomon Islands Government] funded and the remaining $90 million is funded by the Peoples Republic of China [sic] support towards constituency development projects" (sig 2021a, 3–4). It is here that China's key role in Solomon Islands' ruling party's politics becomes clear. Without detailing China's direct contribution to the budget, the government addressed this problem by offering both a new deficit budget and a slogan to justify this deficit. Because the government did not admit to collecting considerable funds directly from China, the public had no way of knowing how the redirection policy and its slogan worked. Thus, there was considerable confusion among the public. The Solomon Star reported that as "the Government prepares to bring down its 2021 $4 billion-plus budget, a huge 'mismatch' appears to...

Disrupted and Unsettled: An Introduction to Monuments, Memorials, and Italian Migrations

Disrupted and Unsettled: An Introduction to Monuments, Memorials, and Italian Migrations

МЕТОДОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ОСНОВЫ РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ НАЦИОНАЛЬНОЙ ЭКОНОМИКИ В РАМКАХ РАЗВИТИЯ ТРАНСГРАНИЧНОГО ВЗАИМОДЕЙСТВИЯ

Goal. Study of world practice and analysis of Russian experience in building cross-border cooperation between regions of neighboring countries. In world practice, the initiative to eliminate border barriers and restrictions is increasingly being formed and is gaining theoretical justification at the regional and municipal levels. The greatest impetus to the development of this direction is given by the strengthening of economic ties between enterprises and public organizations of the contacting countries, the general growth of business activity in the border zones. It is not uncommon for border regions located on the periphery of states to demonstrate a low level of socio-economic development, or are depressed due to their remoteness from the industrial, technological and raw material centers of states. At the same time, these territories are geographical, economic and political "points of contact" with neighboring states, can act as intermediaries and conductors of interstate dialogue. The presence of a border location can be turned into a factor of activation of regional development in the presence of appropriate programs. A positive impulse to accelerate the growth of the national economy is formed as a result of the expansion of cross-border cooperation based on the fuller use of competitive advantages remote from the center. Method. Critical aspects of the development of cross-border interaction are the possibilities of assessing its impact on the national economy, in the context of developing a methodology and a mechanism for its regulation. This aspect of limnological research has not received enough scientific research and requires detailed study. Scientific novelty. The study presents a methodological algorithm for regulating the economy in the context of the development of cross-border interaction between the regions of the state, consisting of seven stages and three levels. Result. The algorithm model reflects the relationship between the integration potential of cross-border interaction of regions and measures to regulate the development of the national economy on the example of the agricultural sector. Further, on this basis, it is supposed to identify the main ways of state development within the framework of integration processes.

Blocking the Spread of COVID-19: Global Border Closure Policies in Central America and Mexico

One of the main actions implemented globally to control the COVID-19 pandemic has been the restriction of population mobility, by closing borders (aerial, terrestrial and maritime), restricting circulation, and ordering mandatory confinement. Latin America has been no exception, and various countries in the region have implemented, among other measures, border closures and curfew policies. Other countries, such as Mexico, have opted instead for persuasive measures appealing to the good will of the populace, asking them to stay at home and practice frequent handwashing, and have provided the public with daily information regarding the current state of the pandemic. It is to be expected that interventions that fall at either of the two extreme ends of this spectrum lead to different effects on the behaviour of the pandemic. This study aims to analyse the pandemic response measures of border closure and internal mobility restriction, and their relation to the behaviour of the COVID-19 pandemic (by case number trends), comparing Central American countries and Mexico. A document analysis was conducted, using official government publications and mass communication channels that provided information on actions taken to control COVID-19, as well as epidemiological reports from each country. The epidemic curve, which reflects confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, was not significantly different between the Central American countries, which mostly implemented border closures and curfews, and Mexico, which did not. Mandatory border closures and restrictions on internal mobility in Central American countries—with the exceptions of Nicaragua, which imposed neither, and Costa Rica, which imposed border controls but only minimal internal restrictions—were found to constitute human rights violations.

Is South Korea vulnerable to EU and US carbon border restrictions?

Is South Korea vulnerable to EU and US carbon border restrictions?

Soil governance in a pandemic

COVID-19 exacerbated many threats to soil health. Long-term consequences of pandemics on soils are likely to include increased threats of contamination and exhaustion. Abrupt border restrictions and changes in demand for agricultural products will create pressure to increase crop yields and surplus animal disposal. Soils also are threatened by demand to convert agricultural lands to housing in response to pandemic-induced changes in how and where work is completed. Several governance mechanisms are outlined that support interactions between humans and soil that promote soil health during a pandemic. Maximizing soil fertility, minimizing contamination, and preventing land-use conversion are critical soil governance objectives.

The ”foreign” virus?

In response to the COVID pandemic, the Norwegian government implemented the strictest border controls in modern Norwegian history, barring entry to most foreign nationals. The Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, justified these policies with reference to the rise of new COVID variants and the need to limit visitors to Norway as much as possible. As this approach has severe adverse effects on many people, there is a need to critically examine the justification given for closing the border. In this paper, we argue that while many border restrictions are legitimate, (1) the arguments given for the recent banning of entry for groups of people are not convincing, and (2) that the ban unduly limits personal freedoms and places an unjust burden on transnational citizens and Norwegians with close relations abroad. Keywords: COVID-19, Border Closure, Border Restrictions, Justice, Sovereignty, Nationalism, Immigration, Freedom, Ignorance

The Role of the WTO in the Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract The WTO and international trade have proven more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, without the delivery of food, medicines, masks and vaccines through commerce, the pandemic could not be contained. The WTO basic principles - transparency, non-discrimination, the prohibition against border restrictions, disciplines on subsidies to industrial and agriculture products, to name a few, and in particular the WTO monitoring system have helped countries collaborating and coordinating their actions to contain the pandemic and mitigate trade and global supply chain disruptions on essential goods. In addition, during this crisis, the WTO Secretariat and its Director-General assumed enhanced responsibilities to assist Members with their extraordinary needs. The WTO became the global forum for Members’ coordination of border and internal trade-related actions, for the debate on intellectual property and the request for waiving patent protections on vaccines, while playing an active role in stimulating the expansion of vaccine production capacity in developing countries. This article contends that the response of the WTO has augmented and legitimatized its role as a global governance forum.

COVID-19 and shifting border policies in Southeast Asia

How prevalent is COVID-19 in Southeast Asia (SEA), and when will the region open its doors to foreign visitors? Following more than a year of global travel restrictions, these are the major concerns of potential visitors. The article examines border relations in SEA in the face of border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2020, the region had been successful in sustaining low COVID-19 rates. This began to change with the emergence of the delta strain, which forced numerous countries in the region to deal with large outbreaks. For this paper, we relied heavily on secondary data, including the most recent relevant literature and credible and reliable publications from reputable organizations, to ensure the data sources' validity, reliability, and quality.

Locked out: An ethical analysis of Trinidad and Tobago's COVID-19 border closure

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced nearly every nation around the world to implement border restrictions, some of which have prevented citizens from entering their own country. Restricting access to one's own country was a burdensome intervention, but may have been necessary given the global emergency. Thus, the decision restrict citizens’ entry as a public health intervention warrants ethical analysis to determine its appropriateness. The focus of this paper is on the ethics of the 15-month border closure implemented in Trinidad and Tobago during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodologyEthical analysis of the COVID-19 border closure in Trinidad and Tobago was done using a six-part ethical framework for public health.DiscussionThe ethical analysis highlights various areas of concern which question the justification for the border closure. The effectiveness, necessity and proportionality of the intervention were justified in the short-term, however, as benefits diminished over time, this did not result in appropriate policy changes. Continuous evaluation of the intervention throughout its use could have improved the balance of benefits and burdens thereby providing stronger ethical validation.ConclusionThe COVID-19 border closure in Trinidad and Tobago brought substantial burdens upon its citizens without comparable benefits. Data from previous pandemics and the best available data during the current pandemic showed that effectiveness was limited to the initial months, after which it would have been unnecessary to maintain. Thus, the government's decision to prolong the border closure for 15 months, well past its time of effectiveness, was not ethically justified from our analysis.