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Western hemispheric trade agreements and sustainability: Lesson from butterflies, hummingbirds, and salty anchovies
Author(s) -
Miller Van V.,
Crespy Charles T.,
Loess Kurt H.,
Renau José A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
sustainable development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.115
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1099-1719
pISSN - 0968-0802
DOI - 10.1002/sd.491
Subject(s) - sustainability , ecological niche , niche , international trade , economic geography , geography , investment (military) , ecology , economics , business , political science , biology , habitat , politics , law
The relationship between international commerce and sustainable development is the subject of much controversy that is exacerbated by geographic boundaries that are co‐jointly developed, shaped, and sustained by regional trade agreements. The outcomes of three Americas trade agreements – NAFTA, CAFTA, and USPTPA – are analyzed across three dimensions: economic, ecological, and labor. The three dimensions collectively form for each trade region a specific ECOL niche that is concurrently subject to national variation. We propose and find that low‐ECOL niches in the Americas appear to attract more foreign trade with investment. Nevertheless, this tentative finding seems not to hold for those corporations that seek out strong ECOL niche countries like Costa Rica. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.