ABSTRACT
Globalization implies a growing interdependence and interconnectedness among nations and people (Held et al., 1999: 2).1 It suggests that events which transpire or decisions taken outside individual nation-states may have a noticeable impact on the daily lives of the average citizen, whether that person lives in an urban or rural setting. The combination of globalization and unprecedented technology change will have a growing influence on governance within nation-states for decades to come, and will greatly complicate the foreign and domestic decisionmaking process. In addition, sub-state or non-central governments within nationstates, especially those within federal systems, are facing major governance challenges, both as a result of international and national regulations which are being imposed upon them, and pressures from globalization which will prompt them to accelerate their own international activities in order to protect and enhance the interests of their constituents. This chapter will highlight some of these governance issues, with a particular focus on the relationship between the United States and Canada.
