ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the early consequences of NAFTA for the intergovernmental systems in the United States and Mexico, with a specific focus on the sister cities of El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Chihuahua. It explores the effects of NAFTA on the vertical integration of policy making, that is, the interaction among local, state, and federal policy makers in each country. The chapter explores the effects of NAFTA on the binational integration of policy making. It considers the effects of NAFTA on the horizontal integration of policy making. Civic and business leaders from El Paso and Juarez have funded a World Trade Center to develop trade in southern New Mexico, west Texas, and Chihuahua. As in many areas of social science research, it is difficult to identify the unique contribution of NAFTA to observed changes in public administration on the US Mexico border.
