North American Linkages: Opportunities and Challenges for Canada

Barb Bloemhof is an assistant professor in the Department of Sport
Management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.

The articles in North American Linkages fall into three thematic areas:
the first contains primarily positive analyses of trade patterns over
the post–free trade agreement era; the second looks at features of a
common market assuming the evolution continued; and the third considers
the effects of different policy choices (taxes, social security,
environment, competition, intellectual property, Internet governance) on
economic performance.

Most of the contributions are rich in data, analysis, and insights.
Globerman and Shapiro present evidence of patterns of foreign direct
investment in North America, but are candid about the limitations of
their analysis and provide balanced conclusions. Oleweiler’s finding
that environmental effects of trade have been, on balance, positive is
well argued and convincing. Collins and Davies raise some provocative
issues concerning the brain drain.

Other contributions disappoint. For example, the conclusions that
Sawchuk and Sydor draw about Canada’s failing competitiveness relative
to Mexico are not justified on the basis of the highly aggregated data
they present. Perhaps forthcoming research will present evidence to
substantiate this position by exploring the important cross-hauling
phenomenon that characterizes North American trade.

Despite the unevenness of the contributions, North American Linkages is
an important assessment of the state of trade-based commerce and policy
choices in North America.