OECD member country experiences could provide useful lessons for East Asia(Table A 1). For example, European and North American cases tell us that borderlands come to the fore under increasingly globalised markets. Their peripheral and remote location from the national centre has tended to leave border regions underdeveloped. Legal and institutional factors have erected barriers to the smooth flow of people and goods across borders in order to protect domestic (mainly security) interests. However, with increasing pressure for free trade and integrated markets, borders are now increasingly being re-defined as bridges or communication channels, rather than barriers. This brings new economic opportunities for border regions. There are different degrees of border openness across Europe and North America.1 In the US -Canada case, tightened border control after the “9/11” attack on the US has hampered the smooth trans-border flow of people and goods. In the US -Mexico case, other issues such as illegal immigration and drug trafficking, have made governments fearful of open borders. In Europe, many barriers to the movement of people and goods have been lifted through measures such as the Schengen Convention. In Europe, virtually all border regions are involved in some type of trans-border co-operation activity. There are more than 70 such arrangements, operating under names like “Euroregions” or “Working Communities” (Perkmann, 2007).