What is the Canada-United States Trade Center?

UB’s Canada-United States Trade Center (CUSTAC) has been in continuous operation since 1989, and has a mission to conduct applied and policy-oriented research on the evolving nature of Canada-US commercial relations with respect to trade, capital investment, border management, and regulatory conditions. The Center's personnel is comprised of the Director (Alan MacPherson), Program Administrator (Donna Banach), 3 faculty members from UB’s Geography Department, 8 faculty members from other departments, 6 external members, and many associates from outside the academic community. CUSTAC works closely with the Regional Institute, US Department of Commerce, US Federal Reserve, Empire State Development, US Small Business Administration, Canadian Consulate General, Buffalo, Industry Canada, and a wide variety of local policy agencies and private businesses within the Niagara Binational Region. CUSTAC supports Canadian-American Studies academic program at UB by: 1) conducting new research on issues that are of central importance to the Canada-US commercial or political relationship; (2) bringing the research results to the classroom at all educational levels; (3) providing modest research or travel funds to assist promising undergraduate students move to the MA level (with Graduate Certificates in Canadian Studies);  and (4) sponsoring or supporting professional conference sessions that focus on Canada-US relations.  For information on current activities, please go to our Current Research and Other Activities page.

One of the principal functions of the Center is to assist in the development of the trade and investment corridor between Western New York and Southern Ontario. In support of this goal, the University has fostered other centers of excellence, including the Center for Industrial Effectiveness, the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and the Regional Institute. Together with these centers, CUSTAC undertakes basic and applied research on trade and investment issues related to both countries and the local border economies.

Research

The primary function of CUSTAC is to advance basic and applied research on economic interactions and related issues between Canada and the United States and their respective international business partners. Special attention is given to the inter-country movements of commodities, services, technology, people, information, and capital. In addition to its own research agenda, CUSTAC encourages and occasionally supports other faculty and graduate students at the University at Buffalo to undertake specific research projects related to cross-border transactions between the two countries.

Research Topics

Current Research

CUSTAC has narrowed its research focus in recent years to concentrate on two critical issues: (1) border management, security, policy optimization; (2) Canadian industrial competitiveness in high technology sectors (e.g. commercial aerospace, GIS, industrial design).

Publications

During the first year of operation in 1988, CUSTAC established its Occasional Paper Series. Since then 38 papers have been published. Some of the varied topics discussed are trade and employment implications of decentralized US commercial aircraft production, impact of border security on local economy, Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement, North American Free Trade Agreement, cross-border issues, importing/exporting, foreign direct investment, trade issues, and geographic information services. 

Current research publications in referred journals include:

 

Policy Analysis

CUSTAC sponsors and encourages policy-oriented studies of issues related to the economic interrelationships between Canada and the US (e.g. Grasping the New Economy). Such investigations are designed to formulate policy alternatives and to foster active discussion and debate on a variety of trade and investment issues that arise from the cross-border interactions of the two countries. CUSTAC sponsors and hosts conferences on policy- related topics affecting the international business community.

Business Services

In addition to providing various support services for research projects undertaken at UB and elsewhere within the Western New York Community, CUSTAC provides a variety of services for business executives and for private sector and government organizations and agencies in New York State and elsewhere. Such services include providing information from the Center's databases, distributing the findings of research projects carried out by the Center, assessing international marketing and investment strategies of businesses, providing referrals to private and public sector organizations, and promoting export-development activities within the local region.

Other web sites for information include International Trade Administration, Statistics Canada, Canadian Embassies and Consulates,

US Department of Commerce, USA Trade Online, and GeoGratis.  Please refer to the Canada Border Services Agency for travel information including the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

Education

As a component of Canadian Studies activities at the University at Buffalo CUSTAC encourages, organizes, and sponsors occasional seminars and workshops on issues related to Canada-U.S. trade and investment activities. In addition, the Center promotes the development of graduate and under-graduate courses at the University that foster a better understanding of Canadian-U.S. relations. Moreover, it encourages, local, state, and federal policymaking groups to continue to give high priority to legislation that creates an equitable and stable environment for economic transactions between Canada and the U.S.

Refer to http://www.geog.buffalo.edu/programs/ for information on international business and world trade.  You can also complete a graduate certificate in Canadian-Studies at UB.

Resources

NewListserv Network for International Trade Concentration (ITC) and International Economic and Business Geographies (IEBG) Alumni at University at Buffalo, Department of Geography.  Contact Donna Banach.


Updated: September 23, 2008

 

Department of Geography College of Arts and Sciences