On the Cutting Edge: Border Integration and Security in Europe and North America

Within the rich literature on regional integration and immigration, many scholars discuss border issues. Nonetheless, rarely are border areas comparatively examined, despite the fact that they are most exposed to these international phenomena. This paper comparatively analyzes the development of regional politics and economies in border areas in Europe and North America, and its impact on immigration regimes. It responds to three inter-related research questions: 1) How has regional integration affected cross-border cooperation at the sub-national level? 2) How have recent socio-economic transformations related to cross-border cooperation affected migration regimes? 3) How well have border control strategies responded to recent changes in migration regimes? It contends that border integration is actually the most effective means of border control.