ABSTRACT
In this chapter the position is taken that borders are not only barriers to cross-border interaction, but also relevant markers, at least for the inhabitants of a nation. In order to examine the economic influence of this latter aspect of borders the chapter focuses on the determinants of cross-border economic relationships of individual firms. The empirical study of the influence of borders on the internationalisation process of individual firms concerns the border regions of The Netherlands and Belgium. It was found that cross-border economic relations are significantly positively influenced by the personal willingness to enter cross-border relationships, be it economic or personal, and that entering into cross-border economic relationships depends heavily on the attitude towards the existence of the border and the perception of the difference in business conventions in the other country.
