Determinants of Intercity Air-Passenger Flows in the “Belt and Road” Region

Air-passenger flow, denoting intercity connections, has been a focal point of studies pertaining to urban networks. While most existing studies include only the geoeconomic characteristics of nodes as explanatory variables, this analysis developed a gravity model by incorporating further factors (e.g., cultural disparity and institutional disparity) that might influence air-passenger flows in the “Belt and Road” region. The primary findings are as follows: (1) The cultural and institutional disparities correlate negatively with the air-passenger flows in this region; (2) air-passenger flows are positively related to border, population and economy size, and economic disparity; (3) flows tend to first increase and then subsequently decrease as geographical distance increases; (4) the impact of the factors on the flows varies by subregion. This study could serve as a reference for those interested in gaining a greater insight into air-passenger flows and could also help improve regional strategies for air-transportation development.

Why Physical Barriers Backfire: How Immigration Enforcement Deters Return and Increases Asylum Applications

What, if any, effect do physical barriers have on cross-border population movements? The foundational claim that barriers reduce migration flows remains unsupported. We conceptualize barriers as a tool of immigration enforcement, which we contend is one form of state repression. State repression could reduce mobilization (reduce immigration), have no effect on mobilization (barriers as symbolic political tools), or increase mobilization (backfire). We evaluate the relationship between barriers and cross-border population movements using a global directed dyad-year dataset for the 1990–2016 time period of all contiguous dyads and nearby non-contiguous dyads. Using instrumental variables, we find that physical barriers actually increase refugee flows, consistent with the “backfire effect” identified in research on United States immigration enforcement policies on its Mexican border. Furthermore, we find that state repression (immigration enforcement) creates this “backfire effect” via a “sunk costs” problem that reduces movements of people and increases movement of status from migrant to refugee.

Cross-border and sedentary workers' job satisfaction

PurposeThis study aims to explore cross-border and sedentary workers' job satisfaction, analyzing the role played by employability dimensions (occupational expertise, anticipation/optimization and personal flexibility), a job resource (autonomy) and job demands (job insecurity and toxic leadership), using the job demands–resources (JD-R) model as a theoretical framework. Moreover, this study tried to detect possible discrepancies between the two subsamples.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved a sample of 250 employees, 40% of whom were frontier workers. Data were collected with a self-report questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS 25. A hierarchical regression analysis and t-test for independent samples were performed.FindingsThe findings evidenced differences between the two subsamples concerning the job satisfaction predictors. Specifically, for cross-border workers, optimization/anticipation appeared significantly positively related to job satisfaction. For sedentary workers, toxic leadership and job insecurity were significantly negatively related to job satisfaction. Autonomy was positively related to the outcome for both samples. Furthermore, cross-border workers reported a higher level of optimization/anticipation, personal flexibility and job satisfaction than sedentary workers.Originality/valueThis paper contributed to fill a gap currently present in the literature on the cross-border population, with a specific focus on job satisfaction. This study confirmed the existence of peculiar working dynamics for cross-border workers.

Frontera colombo-ecuatoriana: gobernanza criminal

Criminal governance is a new object on the Colombian security-related investigation agenda. In Colombia, the constant presence of illegal groups affects regions far from urban centers. Based on the foregoing, the State has been supplanted in territorial control affecting binational ethnic communities on the border between Colombia and Ecuador. Empirical evidence shows that since the signing of the peace agreement in 2016, the presence of criminal governments defined by Lessing (2019) as the governance of criminal actors over populations within an economy, ethnic group or territory, has been increasing. The objective of this research proposal is to determine the factors that converge within the new dynamics of transnational organized crime after the FARC. To this end, the tentative question is the following: How is the relationship between regional and extra-regional criminal governments on the Colombian-Ecuadorian border configured with ethnic communities between 2016 and 2019? For methodological purposes, a review of the literature will be made under the conceptual framework of ‘criminal government’ proposed by Benjamin Lessing (2019). Indeed, analyzes of the border have been able to determine that the area is of strategic importance for criminal organizations. These groups are not exclusively dedicated to drug trafficking, but also to human trafficking, extortion, and fuel smuggling, factors by which criminal organizations compete or cooperate for control of the area through legitimacy within the border population.

Governance in Imperial County and Mexicali at the U.S.–Mexico Border during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the lives of those living in the United States–Mexico border. From the Imperial Valley–Mexicali region, along the California– Baja California border, we find two interesting cases in public management that were impacted by the border population—medical care and informal importation of consumer goods. A lack of federal policy and guidance to improve the quality of life for people in the region leads us to rethink the role of governments and governance in the border region.