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The twenty‐first‐century globalizing economy and free trade regimes in Europe and North America transform regions and their economies. This paper aims to question, in comparative perspective with European experiences, whether free trade, and particularly continental economic integration in North America, impacts the economies, and leads to forms of transboundary governance. It then seeks to complement this discussion by a review of the perceptions public managers have of those developments.

This paper is based on a review of the literature, public policy and individual interviews, and a survey of 700 private and public policy decision makers.

The evidence presented in this paper suggests that increased economic interdependence has led to the emergence of trans‐boundary governance. Public managers and policy‐makers view those as mechanisms that ease trade and public policy relations.

Contrary to broad assumption, North American trans‐boundary policy networks are helping trade relations and facilitate policy making.