PNA Featured Content Partner: PNA is pleased to announced that it will now include documents from The Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University, which has recently agreed to allow the Portal for North American to gather and feature documents from their Institute.

The Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) is a multi-disciplinary research institute at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. The BPRI focuses on research that informs policy-makers on matters related to the Canada-U.S. border. Priority focus areas are trade and transportation, economics, environment, immigration and border security. The University established the BPRI to further a mission of promoting research, academic programs, and public programming on critical policy issues affecting the Pacific Northwest. The BPRI works closely with cognate programs at the University and collaborates with many public and private entities within the Pacific Northwest.

Border management processes related to trade and travel are particularly significant in the context of the ongoing economic crisis and the post-election momentum to rethink Canada-US policy options. The BPRI has therefore published a Special Edition of the Border Policy Brief, titled "Trade & Travel Patterns at the Canada-US Border: Policy Implications." Drawing upon the results of research conducted at the BPRI over the past four years, this report can inform persons engaged in the development of the next generation of border management. Download the Special Report here: http://www.wwu.edu/bpri/files/2009_Winter_Border_Brief.pdf.

Additionally, CIGI Senior Fellow and PNA Steering Committee member Stephen Blank is currently serving for the College of Business and Economics at Western Washington University as its Ross Distinguished Professor of Canada-United States Business and Economic relations.

For more information on the BPRI, please visit their content partner profile, found here: http://www.portalfornorthamerica.org/border-policy-research-institute-0.

(Image credit: Western Washington University)