Border Policy Research Institute

Place-Based Policy Research on the Canada-U.S. Border

Why does studying borders matter to our students and our broader community?

Borders around the world are sites of both contestation and connection, and play an important role in many social and economic aspects of our lives.
WWU is the northernmost university in the contiguous United States, with close proximity to an international border crossing.
BPRI is the only academically-based institute in the United States that is dedicated to the study of Canada-US border policy.

BPRI was formed in 2005 to further a mission of promoting research and public programming on critical policy issues affecting the Cascadia region. We are a multidisciplinary institute with the goal of undertaking research and outreach to inform policymakers on matters related to the Canada-U.S. border, particularly in the British Columbia-Washington State region.

Our priority focus areas:

Cross-border mobility
Cross-border collaboration
Economic relationships
Border Management

In times of heightened uncertainties and increasing politicization of the Canada-US border, BPRI is committed to providing evidence-based research to inform broader conversations and provide context about the state of the border and its impacts on our border communities and beyond.

What BPRI does:

Leadership & Scholarship