NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Last updated: April , 2001
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research – http://www.aei.org/
The AEI is a U.S.-based think tank and this is their official website. The site breaks down their research into various categories of policy studies, among which are international trade and finance and labor issues. However, no research area is specifically devoted to NAFTA.
Americas Net: Summit of the Americas Center – http://www.americasnet.net/SOAC_Home/index.htm
This site is sponsored by Florida International University, and is the homepage for the Summit of the Americas Center, devoted to information about the Summits of the Americas. The site has helpful discussion of western hemisphere integration, and has links to other helpful regional sites.
Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy http://brie.berkeley.edu/~briewww/
BRIE is a small research project at the of University California at Berkeley, debating government policy and business strategy with academics, business leaders and scholars from wide ranging disciplines to consider the real-world intersections of technology, markets and economics.
The Brookings Institution, Washington D.C. http://www.brookings.org
The Institution is an independent analyst and critic on public policy issues including U.S. trade and investment policy.
Business Week Online – http://www.businessweek.com
This site has an international and international business section and also often includes Latin American cover stories from Business Week Magazine. Search under NAFTA to find the following relevant three important stories and many others that can be accessed at this site:
July 17, 2000 Issue – Vicente Fox on the Transition, NAFTA, Corruption, Drugs, the Economy.
July 23, 2000 Issue – Q&A with Mexico’s Luis Ernesto Derbez President – elect Fox’s economic adviser on the new Administration’s plans to remake the countries economy.
October 23, 2000 Issue – Car Power (int’l edition) – With trade barriers falling Latin America’s auto industry is entering a new era.
Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade http://dfait-maeci.gc.ca
This site is a good source for the current state of Canada’s foreign and trade policy.
Canada’s Export Development Corporation http://www.edc-see.ca
This Crown corporation provides trade finance and risk management services to Canadian exporters and investors in over 200 markets including market intelligence and financial services.
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives http://www.policyalternatives.ca
The Centre is an independent nonprofit research organization on economic and social issues from a progressive point of view including a Trade Briefing Paper Series.
Canadian Chamber of Commerce http://www.chamber.ca
The Voice of Canadian Businesses site has an International Affairs section that contains Canadian businesses’ views on trade and investment.
Canadian Foundation of the Americas http://www.focal.ca
This is an independent NGO dedicated to deepening and strengthening Canada’s relations with Latin America through policy discussion and analysis. On April 18, 2001 in Montreal the Foundation is holding a Forum on “Trade and Prosperity at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City”.
CATO Institute http://www.cato.org
The Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research foundation headquartered in Washington D.C. that produces extensive policy study publications on trade policy.
C.D. Howe Institute http://www.cdhowe.org
The Institute is a nonprofit economic and social policy research institution based in Toronto, Ontario with many publications on trade and investment in the Americas.
Center for International Studies http://www.utoronto.ca/cis/
The Center advances interdisciplinary research in international financial and economic issues. Its site features working papers on a number of issues pertinent to international finance, development and free trade, including a number of papers on development and finance in Latin America. The Center is based at the University of Toronto in Canada.
Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade http://lanic.utexas.edu/cswht/
The Center is a continuing project of four universities based in Texas, USA, to advance research on trade between western hemisphere nations. Its site features a directory of trade experts as well as a number of brief papers on NAFTA and Mexico, the Mexican banking system, and devaluation of the peso. The Center is based at the University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Center for Trade Policy and Law http://www.carleton.ca/ctpl/
The Center is a Canadian-based research and advisory organization that focuses on free trade laws of the NAFTA, Canadian-US Free Trade Agreement and WTO. It offers both research and analysis and serves to advise nations on trade laws. Its site features annual reports, news and opinions on free trade, trade laws and Canadian public policy. The Center is based in Ottawa, Canada.
Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) http://www.cse.org/n_index.html
CSE is private USA-based advocacy group that supports free enterprise and limited government intervention. Its site features a number of brief papers and analyses of current US public policy issues, ranging from welfare, health care and energy policy. CSE is based in Washington, D.C., USA.
Commission for Labor Cooperation (CLC) http://www.naalc.org/
The CLC was created by the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, a treaty negotiated by Canada, Mexico and the United States parallel to the NAFTA. The purpose of the CLC is to conduct research and establish means to protect workers’ rights and improve labor conditions of the NAFTA parties. Its site features a number of papers on NAFTA, migrant workers and labor laws.
Committee for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) http://www.cec.org/
The CEC was created by the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, a treaty negotiated by Canada, Mexico and the United States parallel to the NAFTA. The CEC was created to facilitate research and cooperation among the NAFTA parties to address trans-boundary environmental concerns created by free trade, such as the effects of pollution, effects on biodiversity and environmental health. Its site features a number of documents and research pieces on environmental issues relevant to the NAFTA countries.
Comision Economica para America Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) http://www.cepal.org.mx , http://www.eclac.cl .
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is the U.N. body that oversees economic development in Latin America and is one of the five regional economic commissions of the United Nations, established in 1948 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a regional agency to cooperate with the governments of Latin America in the economic and social development of the region. CEPAL's headquarters in Santiago, Chile, host the main website, although the Mexico City district office also hosts a website. Both sites offer a myriad of articles, reports, books, and other materials on economic and social development, as well as trade, investment and other topics. Their materials are generally free of charge and can be downloaded with Acrobat Reader (r).
Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) http://www.cei.org/
The CEI is a private USA-based advocacy group that supports free enterprise and limited government involvement. It conducts research and publishes documents on the NAFTA, WTO and other free trade regimes, as well as on other US public policy issues such as urban sprawl, transportation, property rights and health care. The CEI is based in Connecticut, USA.
Economic Policy Institute (EPI) http://www.epinet.org/
The EPI is a private think-tank which conducts research on economic policy matters. Its site features real audio transcripts, excerpts and analyses on free trade issues including the NAFTA, WTO and other trade regimes. Its research focuses in on the areas of globalization, living standards, sustainable economies, government involvement and public opinion.
The Economic Strategy Institute (ESI) http://www.econstrat.org/
The ESI is a private think-tank organization that conducts research and publishes material on free trade and public policy, including the NAFTA and other free trade treaties. Its site features executive summaries or full text of its publications, including pieces on the NAFTA, labor laws, industry sectoral analyses and other issues. The ESI is based in Washington, D.C., USA.
Federal Trade Commission – http://www.ftc.gov/
The official site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the site is devoted to promoting consumer protection and a competitive marketplace. The site is helpful in explaining the legal framework and policies of the U.S. in the business context, but does not explicitly cover NAFTA issues.
Fraser Institutehttp://www.fraserinstitute.ca/
The Institute is a Canadian-based think tank that advocates for private market solutions to public policy issues. Its site features online versions of publications on the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and the NAFTA, as well as a variety of other topics such as education, the environment, gun control, minimum wage laws and labor organization. The Institute is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The Heritage Foundation http://www.heritage.org/
The Foundation is a US-based private think tank that advocates public policy based on the principles of free enterprise, individual freedoms and limited government involvement. Its site features a number of online papers on the NAFTA as well as other trade treaties and organizations. The Foundation conducts research on a wide variety of other public policy issues, including international security, education and the environment. The Foundation is based in Washington, D.C., USA.
Human Resources Development Corporation of Canada http://www.hrdc-drhc.ga.ca/common/home.shtml
This site focuses on human development in Canada with the objective of enhancing employment, encouraging equality, and promoting social security. It provides information for job and training opportunities, grants, employers, etc.
Industry Canada http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/
This site contains a newsroom which includes news releases, speeches, and success stories of various Canadian industries. It also includes biographies of various Canadian ministers and secretaries as well as Industry portfolios. Its mission is to work with Canadians throughout the Canadian economy to improve conditions for investment, innovative performance, to increase Canada's share of global trade and to build a fair, efficient, competitive marketplace.
Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) http://www.iadb.org
The IDB was established in December of 1959 to help accelerate economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Bank is the main source of multilateral financing for the region. The site provides working papers and reports on integration in the Latin America and NAFTA, among many other development-related topics.
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) http://www.iatc.org
This site promotes family farms, rural communities, and ecosystems throughout the world. It contains publications, surveys, and studies on how this group promotes policies in food and agriculture, global governance, forestry, etc. It is a very useful site for information on third world and rural development.
Institute of International Economics http://www.iie.com
This site contains policy briefs, speeches and testimony, news releases, and hot topics dealing with the study of international economic policy. The institute attempts to anticipate emerging issues and practical ideas to inform and shape public debate. Its studies have contributed to trade policy decisions such as NAFTA and APEC. It contains an electronic bookstore where you can find its output on various international economic trade policies.
Mexican Investment Board – http://www.mib.org.mx/
This site is sponsored by the Government of Mexico’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Mexican Bank for Foreign Trade, the Mexican Association of Brokerage Firms, and Nacional Financiera. The site informs on how and why to invest in Mexico, including the implications of NAFTA. The site also provides basic statistics and information on Mexico in general.
NAFTA Connect http://www.naftaconnect.com
This site focuses on using Internet technology to help small and medium enterprises gain exposure in the North American Marketplace at a reasonable cost. This site helps promote small and medium companies by creating a promotional package, including customizing, design, and hosting a Website for the companies.
NAFTA Customs – http://www.nafta-customs.org/
The site is available in English, Spanish, and French.The site is devoted to NAFTA customs topics, but is not intended to reflect actual positions of NAFTA members’ customs departments. Information includes publications, rules of origin, text of the agreement, and other sources.
NAFTA Secretariat http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/
The NAFTA Secretariat, comprised of the Canadian, U.S. and Mexican Sections, is a unique organization, established by the Free Trade Commission. It is responsible for the administration of the dispute settlement provisions of the Agreement. The mandate of the NAFTA Secretariat also includes the provision of assistance to the Commission and support for various non-dispute related committees and working groups. More specifically, the NAFTA Secretariat administers the NAFTA dispute resolution processes under Chapters Fourteen, Nineteen and Twenty of the NAFTA and has certain responsibilities related to Chapter Eleven dispute settlement provisions. Each national section maintains a court-like registry relating to panel, committee and tribunal proceedings. This site is a great resource to find out what the NAFTA Secretariat does. It provides information on rules and decisions, and status reports of various dispute settlements.
NAFTA and Trade Dependent Alliance http://www.naftafyi.com
This site is maintained by a private individual. It tells how NAFTA can affect individuals by discussing job relocation, listing books, and providing information on seminars and various working groups.
This is a web site where you can obtain some basic information about NAFTA investor- state dispute settlement; obtain copies of recent NAFTA Claim documents; and contact someone to learn more about bringing a NAFTA Claim. This site contains the most complete list of NAFTA Claim documents available on the web, but it is not complete. The NAFTA Claim process is much less public than a domestic court proceeding because it is governed by private contract arbitral rules that to some extent allow the parties to keep a great deal of the proceedings confidential.
National Policy Association (NPA) http://www.npa1.org/
This site provides information and research on global corporate responsibility, globalization, income, status, and health, the international economy, etc. The NPA conducts research on social and economic policies to increase the private sector's participation in the global marketplace.
The National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade- http://www.natlaw.com/index.htm
This site contains basic information about the Center. One can subscribe to their database which contains a bi-weekly publication of legal developments affecting trade and investment in Latin America. Their database also contains their projects which are aimed at identifying and eliminating structural legal obstacles to free trade through the harmonization of common laws and practice by the standardization of legal documents.
North American Institute http://www.northamericaninstitute.org
This site is a private not-for-profit organization the focus of which is to deepen understanding and to promote new approaches to North American issues. It organizes small workshops, conferences and larger forums that address pertinent issues concerning the three countries. The site also lists key events, publications, issues and links.
North American Development Bank (NADB) http://www.nadbank.org
The North American Development Bank (NADB) was created under the auspices of NAFTA. It is an international financial institution established and capitalized in equal parts by the United States and Mexico for the purpose of financing environmental infrastructure projects. The site provides description of program activities as well as periodic reports and latest information about Bank’s infrastructure and technical assistance projects.
North American Integration and Development (NAID) Center http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/
This site provides information about upcoming conferences and classes along with providing research, policy projects, publications and a database. They plan to offer an on-line newsletter in the future. The NAID was created to conduct ongoing research concerning North American integration and to assist communities and governments with policies and investment projects for sustainable and equitable development across borders.
The North South Center http://www.miami.edu/nsc/
This site, based at the University of Miami as an independent research and educational organization, engages and informs government and opinion leaders throughout the Americas by means of conferences, public affairs activities, and research resulting in timely publications. The site provides news from the North South Center as well as conference updates, a calendar, links and publications.
Office for the Study of US/Mexico Trade Relations and the North American Free Trade Agreement Information Center. http://www.tamiu.edu/coba/usmtr/
This site, based at Texas A&M, specializes in providing an electronic repository of textual data pertaining to NAFTA. The Information Center also has developed text databases dealing with issues related to Central and South America and a database for agricultural issues which is funded by the Center for North American Studies. This site also features the NAFTA Digest, a monthly publication that consists of a lead article written by experts in the field, and information compiled by the Center.
Organization of American States (OAS) http://www.oas.org
The OAS, made up of 35 member states, is a Americas political forum for multilateral dialogue and action in the hemisphere. The site, featured in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, describes the OAS's mission, charter and priorities. It has extensive resources related to NAFTA and to the Summits of the Americas.
Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) http://www.oecd.org
The OECD is a think tank and monitoring agency that provides governments a setting in which to discuss, develop and perfect economic and social policy. The site contains detailed information on the Organization's work along with activities, statistics, news, the OECD observer and publications.
Public Citizen: Global Trade Watch http://www.tradewatch.org/
Global Trade Watch promotes government and corporate accountability in international commercial agreements shaping globalization. The NAFTA section addresses some controversial issues surrounding NAFTA and includes a NAFTA report card, database, charts, and publications.
Strategis (Canada) http://www.strategis.ic.gc.ca
This site, available in English and French, offers interactive applications such as customizable benchmarking tools, cost calculators, and online business planning, plus a weekly email newsletter. It also provides different sections for consumers, economists, investors and students. Strategis mission is to work with Canadians to build growing competitive, knowledge-based economy and make Canada the most connected nation in the world.
Texas Environmental Almanac Focus: NAFTA and the Texas/Mexico Border Environment http://www.texascenter.org/almanac/NAFTA-FOCUS.HTML
This site addresses environmental debates surrounding NAFTA and the implications of increased U.S./Mexico economic integration. The site provides an historical view of border issues along with recent developments and charts.
United States/Mexico Chamber of Commerce http://www.usmcoc.org
This site provides information on Mexico and U.S.-Mexico relations; it contains links, research, programs and a calendar. Their NAFTA section provides a Five-Year Review along with information about telecommunications, agriculture, energy, environment, transportation and border issues.
United States Department of Agriculture – http://www.usda.gov/
This is the official site of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While the site does not discuss NAFTA implications in great detail, it is a comprehensive site and includes U.S. agricultural statistics.
United States Department of Commerce – http://www.doc.gov/
This is the official site of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The site devotes a specific portion of the site to international trade. It also includes news and publications by the department, and statistics on U.S. commerce.
United States Department of Labor – http://www.dol.gov/
This is the official site of the U.S. Department of Labor.It is a well-maintained site and provides, among other things, specific links to laws and regulations affecting labor in the U.S., as well as statistics and data.
United States Department of State – http://www.state.gov/
This is the official site of the U.S. Department of State.It is a useful site as it explains U.S. foreign policy, as well as provides trade reports on economic policy and trade practices of other countries.
United States Treasury – http://www.ustreas.gov/
The official site of the U.S. Treasury, it provides adequate information about the Department in general, and also has a very helpful portion of the site devoted to import/export, that includes the latest news on various laws and regulations affecting external trade.
United States Trade Representative – http://www.ustr.gov/
From the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the site includes press releases, speeches and testimony, and reports. A portion of the site is devoted specifically to NAFTA, as well as other portions devoted strictly to Canada and Mexico, all in the context of U.S. trade.
United States International Trade Commission (ITC) http://www.usitc.gov/
This site provides an agenda for the ITC's daily conferences, votes, meetings, and dockets. The site contains official notices, public inspection files, and investigations the ITC has done. It investigates and determines whether U.S. industries are harmed by imports, it advises against unfair practices in import trade, and provides statistical data on imports, exports, domestic production, and the establishment of an international harmonized commodity code.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars http://wwics.si.edu/
The Center established as a living institution commemorating the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson, supports scholarship by linking that scholarship to issues of concern to official Washington. The Center hosts seminars and conferences, and provides a variety of publications and broadcasting. The site provides information on programs and projects along with a calendar.
World Trade Organization (WTO) http://www.wto.org
The WTO is a global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations whose primary goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers to conduct their business. This site provides documents, statistics, a focus newsletter, publications, links and webcasting. It also contains different trade topics and community forums. The site is available in Spanish, French and English.