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Re-Examination of Quality of Life Indicators in US - Mexico Border Cities: a Critical Review

International Journal of Community Well-Being volume 2, pages 135–154 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper explores quality of life (QoL) in the US–Mexico Border region by revisiting The Border Observatory Project (BOP). The BOP collected and analyzed survey-response data derived from four pairs of border sister cities (Mexicali, Baja and Calexico, California; San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora and San Luis/Somerton, Arizona; Juarez, Chihuahua and El Paso, Texas; Tijuana, Baja and San Diego, California) over time. This paper adds to the literature on QoL by identifying the social and QoL indicators particularly pertinent to U.S.–Mexico border cities and significant differences between cities. The BOP and recent literature on U.S.-Mexico border QoL and social indicators are described and leveraged to propose a border-rooted bi-national, multi-community, and multi-indicator social indicators framework for use in future QoL and social indicator studies regarding border cities. The commentary and proposed framework in this paper help inform future research, policy, and practice concerning residents and migrants found in border communities.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to librarian, Emily Hart, for her help in sourcing articles for this study. Also to Professors S. Guhathakurta, D. Pijawka and E. Sadalla, who developed the Border Observatory Project and produced the empirical database from which this analysis was derived.

Funding

The Border Observatory Project was funded by the Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP), a consortium of five US universities and ten Mexican universities and research centers, which was supported by the US Congress through the US Environmental Protection Agency.

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  1. Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 300 Pulteney S, Geneva, NY, 14456, USA

    Craig Allen Talmage

  2. School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, PO Box 875302, Tempe, AZ, 85287-5302, USA

    David Pijawka & Bjoern Hagen

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  1. Craig Allen Talmage
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  2. David Pijawka
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  3. Bjoern Hagen
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Correspondence to Craig Allen Talmage.

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Talmage, C.A., Pijawka, D. & Hagen, B. Re-Examination of Quality of Life Indicators in US - Mexico Border Cities: a Critical Review. Int. Journal of Com. WB 2, 135–154 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-019-00029-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-019-00029-7

Keywords

  • U.S.-Mexico border
  • Quality of life
  • Happiness
  • Border City disparities