The borders of the pandemic: lessons on governance and cooperation in United States-Mexico border cities
Las fronteras de la pandemia: lecciones para la gobernanza y la cooperación en las ciudades de la frontera México-Estados Unidos
https://doi.org/10.21670/ref.2104067
Keywords:
COVID-19, governance, cross-border cooperation, local actors, rebordering, borderAbstract
This article documents and analyzes the response of cities in the u.s.-Mexico border region to the health emergency and a significant process of rebordering triggered by COVID-19. Like many other countries, the United States and Mexico's primary strategy to contain the spread of coronavirus has been the adoption of social distancing measures and restrictions on mobility, including the closure of the common border. An immediate implication of this process is the strengthening of national governments' presence in border health management and, potentially, the contraction of governance spaces in which subnational actors traditionally participate. By analyzing secondary data for eight pairs of co-adjacent border cities, local actors' responses to the pandemic are examined in the context of a rapid rebordering process and postpandemic governance, and cross-border cooperation scenarios are explored.Resumen
Este artículo documenta y analiza la respuesta de las ciudades de la región fronteriza México-Estados Unidos a la emergencia sanitaria y a un proceso sustancial de refronterización desencadenado por el COVID-19. Como muchos otros países, la estrategia principal de Estados Unidos y México para contener la propagación del coronavirus ha sido la adopción de medidas de distanciamiento social y restricciones a la movilidad, incluyendo el cierre de la frontera común. Una implicación inmediata de este proceso es el reforzamiento de la presencia de los gobiernos nacionales en la gestión de la salud fronteriza y, potencialmente, la contracción de los espacios de gobernanza en los que participan tradicionalmente actores subnacionales. Mediante el análisis de datos secundarios de ocho pares de ciudades fronterizas contiguas, se examinan las respuestas de actores locales a la pandemia en el marco de un proceso acelerado de refronterización y se perfilan escenarios de gobernanza y cooperación trasfronteriza pospandemia.References
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