TopThe BPRI funds research projects in topic areas consistent with its mission. Each autumn, a "Call for Projects" is circulated at Western Washington University, with submissions typically due in late November. Funding decisions are announced at year's end. Additionally, the BPRI entertains proposals involving collaboration between Western faculty and co-investigators at other institutions. Finally, the BPRI hosts a Visiting Fellow each year. Applications for the fellowship are likewise submitted in the fall, with selections announced by year's end.
Download the Fall 2009 Call for Proposals.
Download the 2009 - 2010 Visiting Fellow Announcement.
Don Alper, Ph.D. Utilizing long interviews, this study elicits constructive criticism from regional border stakeholders about the functioning of the Canada-US border. The principal goals of the study are to: 1) seek out the best thinking at the local and regional level about border management processes; 2) identify best practices and the conditions which make them possible; 3) determine if there are areas of agreement among stakeholder sectors (e.g., business groups, NGOs, agency officials, etc.); 4) cross compare the views of stakeholders on both sides of the border.
Paul Storer, Ph.D., and Steve Globerman, Ph.D. This project investigates whether differences in shipping costs are significant along the span of the 49th parallel, when examined at the port-level and the commodity-level. The study will be used to suggest policy implications for border management practices.
Troy Abel, Ph.D. Dr. Abel will develop a case study of wildlife management and conservation efforts in the binational Cascades region, focusing particularly on evolving opportunities and barriers to regional cooperation. He hopes to illuminate government policies that inhibit or foster cross-border ecosystem management.
David Davidson, M.P.A. Mr. Davidson is collaborating with the Whatcom Council of Governments to collect field data regarding detailed movements of trucks through the Cascade Gateway ports. The data will be used to evaluate efficacy of existing programs (e-manifest, FAST) and explore possible program revisions.
Anneliese Vance, Ph.D. Dr. Vance is studying the impact of recent anti-terrorism measures upon cross-border supply chains in Cascadia. She is surveying the measures that have been taken by individual firms to cope with changing regulations at the border. She will then compare the results found in the Cascadia region with those found via an earlier study in the Buffalo-Niagara region. The cover letter accompanying her survey instrument can be downloaded here, and the survey instrument can be downloaded here.
Paul Storer, Ph.D. Dr. Storer examined the benefits that might accrue to exporters in the State of Washington if certain NAFTA tariffs were eliminated or modified. His research also revealed the extent to which individual tariffs affect the competitiveness of regional companies. He identified groups of tariff schedule items that are most amenable to "streamlining" in a manner beneficial to the region. Project results are presented in Working Paper No. 3.
Ruth Harper, Ph.D. This project involved the collection of water samples and water quality data from streams tributary to the Columbia River. Water samples were assessed for toxicity in laboratory experiments, and the observed toxicities were compared to the toxicities predicted by a computer model (Biotic Ligand Model) used within the US for regulatory purposes. In this manner, the utility of the model was evaluated with respect to the Columbia River. Project results are presented in Research Report No. 7.
Anne Goodchild, Ph.D. (University of Washington). Four data sets were analyzed in order to build a profile of the commodities crossing the border along the I-5 corridor, as well as the delay encountered at the border. The causes and consequences of border-delay were also investigated. Project results are presented in Research Report No. 6.
Hugh Conroy, Melissa Miller, David Davidson. Over 15,000 drivers were interviewed as they crossed north- and south-bound through the four ports-of-entry serving the I-5 corridor. The resulting database provides information about trip purposes, frequencies, durations, origins, and destinations. The database is the main product of the effort, but summary results are presented in a Final Report.
James Hundley, M.A. Mr. Hundley explored the application of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI, the so-called "passport law") to Native Americans, who have right of passage across the Canada/US border pursuant to terms of treaties. The research results are presented within Mr. Hundley's thesis.
Wayne Landis, Ph.D. A risk-evaluation model was used to identify invasive species transported across the BC-Washington border and to estimate the relative ecologic harm posed by such species. Project results are presented in Research Report No. 2.
Steven Globerman, Ph.D., and Paul Storer, Ph.D. A time-series dataset characterizing cross-border trade was analyzed with an econometric model, leading to insights about the effects of post-9/11 security measures upon commodity trade flows at major Canada-US ports of entry. Project results are presented in Research Report No. 1, as well as in a 2008 book from the University of Toronto Press titled "The Impact of 9/11 on Canada-US Trade."
Hart Hodges, Ph.D. An econometric model was used to analyze a multi-year record of the number of southbound automobiles at ports-of-entry in the I-5 corridor, seeking explanatory variables that could account for the observed pattern of crossings. Project results are presented in Research Note No. 1.
Brian Morgans, M.B.A. Morgans performed interviews of Canadian-owned businesses located in Washington State and of US-owned businesses in British Columbia with the aim of discovering the obstacles and incentives encountered by companies conducting cross-border business. He also gauged the importance of such cross-border investment to the economy of Whatcom County, Washington. Project results are presented in Research Report No. 5.
Matthew Roelofs, Ph.D., and Mark Springer, Ph.D. A queuing model was used to predict the effects of the deployment of a variable congestion-based toll for commercial traffic entering the US at the Pacific Highway Crossing in Blaine, Washington. Project results are presented in Research Report No. 4.
Anne Goodchild, Ph.D. (University of Washington). Various data sets were analyzed in order to statistically characterize the amount of delay and the variability of delay encountered by trucks crossing the border in Blaine, WA. The mechanisms used by businesses to cope with variability were also explored. Project results are presented in Research Report No. 3.
Ken Casavant, Ph.D., and Eric Jessup, Ph.D. (Washington State University). Two distinct methods were employed to generate forecasts of the amount of commercial traffic likely to enter Washington from BC. Project results are presented in Working Paper No. 1.