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This paper summarizes work and research undertaken at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (the Environment Commission of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)) over the past two years. The paper describes industry perspectives (both of electricity production companies, as well as of large electricity consumers) from the three NAFTA countries on what issues, policies and factors play the most important role in the development of renewable sources of electricity. The paper then addresses the barriers to the development of renewable electricity development that have been highlighted by industry, government, NGOs and academics. Specific barriers that are considered include both institutional and physical factors inhibiting trade in renewable electricity and how these trade inhibitions contribute to barriers to the development of renewable electricity. More general issues considered include lack of institutional capacity. The paper then addresses how these barriers could be addressed to help foster a more vibrant trade in renewable electricity, as well as to the further development of renewable electricity in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across various regions and international regimes, what can be conceptualized as multilevel political opportunity structures have emerged, with non-state actors finding new opportunities to engage in collective action and make claims against elites and ins ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the approach of security governance, this paper presents the evolution of North America from as a region guided it by an economic rational, namely NAFTA, to an area in which security concerns have played a more relevant role in the regional agend ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North American Commission of Environmental Cooperation (NACEC) as the environmental side of NAFTA is a paradigmatic example of North-South public inclusion to achieve environmental protection in a free-trade integration project. NACEC includes as members Canada, Mexico and the United States (US). As the membership shows, NACEC represents (in a symbolic sense) the North-South divide and the asymmetries between them: two highly developed industrial countries (Canada and the US) and a third one, Mexico, still possessing many characteristics that place it within the ‘developing’ world. These asymmetries are also expressed in different capacities of their civic groups to engage in the activities of this organisation. There is a need to assess how participation of Mexican non-governmental actors (e.g. industry and environmental NGOs) has been implemented in practice after almost twelve years of NACEC’s existence. This paper engages with this analysis in cooperative initiatives under the Pollutants and Health program. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that an analysis of business-government relationships is essential for understanding processes of “governance” in North America. We demonstrate the instrumental role of “big business” in Canada and Mexico during two important moments in the evolution of North American governance: first, in the negotiation of the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA, 1986-1988) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, 1991-1992); and, second, in the processes leading up to and during the negotiation of “smart borders” following the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. We argue that the entering into, as well as the very CUFTA/NAFTA and “smart border” negotiations themselves, and their outcomes, are incomprehensible without a proper understanding of the private sector role. We conclude with some reflections on the implications of our analysis for thinking about the theme of this conference; namely, the North-South divide and International Studies. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rules governing trade relations in North America underwent important changes as a result of the successful negotiation and ratification of two treaties. First came the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) in 1987. This was followed by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) ratified by Canada, Mexico and the US in 1993. CUFTA was largely absorbed into NAFTA - alternatively one might say that CUFTA was "enlarged". More than 10 years have past since NAFTA came into effect in January 1994, and numerous observers have begun to reflect over what the agreement has accomplished and how North Americanism can be protected and further developed. These reflections are usually based on a favorable view of both the agreement itself and "North Americanism" and rooted in a conviction that they need to be further developed in order to avoid the risk of stagnation, irrelevance, or even backsliding. The negative consequences of September 11 also highlighted NAFTA weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Finally, and not least, the example of European integration, which has deepened and grown considerably in the past 15 years, has encouraged reflection about the future of North American regional integration. The purpose of this paper is to think about the possibility of increased North American integration in light of what the European experience reveals about regional integration. It is obvious that the European context and experience are quite different from North America, and this often leads observers to conclude that there is little about the former that will help us understand the latter. While I do not want to argue that North American developments will mirror Europe's, I do think we gain insights from studying European developments. A considerable body of theory has been developed to explain cooperation in Europe. I will summarize what it suggests about driving forces behind integration. I also look at the empirical record of European integration. I then compare similarities and differences between the European and North American experiences. I conclude by discussing proposals for pushing North American integration further and whether recent Canadian and US elections can be expected to make any difference in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new free trade agreements are rescaling governance in ways that have critical implications for sub national governments. The nation state is not simply being hollowed out, rather a new governance nexus is forming - of nation states, multinational corporations and international agreements - which explicitly excludes sub national and local government voice. This paper describes the new governance features of the North American Free Trade Agreement and illustrates how they work out at the national, sub national and local scales in the US and Mexico. NAFTA provides the template for the new generation of free trade agreements (WTO, GATS and FTAA). We show how NAFTA's governance structure is undermining sub national and local government authority in legislative, judicial and contracting arenas. Designed to advance privatization of public services, these agreements undermine the very ability of local governments to use markets for public goods by defining traditional state and local governance mechanisms as non-tariff barriers to trade. The contradictions between private profit and public interest appear at the sub national level but their resolution is engaged at the global level between private investors and the nation state. Recognition of this rescaling requires attention to the reforming state and its implications for sub national authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]