We all have our experiences with ÔbordersÕ. By crossing the border, we enter ÔanotherÕ world. Sometimes we cross the border to meet that ÔotherÕ world. As tourists, we cross the border in order to visit places or regions that are quite different from those we have. As entrepreneurs, we cross the border to sell our products abroad or to manufacture our products against lower costs. But we are not always eager to cross the border. Sometimes it is nearly impossible, when the authorities on one or both sides want to prevent any cross-border interaction for political reasons. Sometimes it is possible, but we feel a kind of ÔmentalÕ barrier to do so. When people on both sides of the border are not speaking the same language, or when they have a different religion or quite different habits, they may be disinclined to interact. Our neighbours on the other side of the border are often seen as ÔdifferentÕ from us. In such a situation cross-border interaction is strongly restricted, even in those areas where the border in a physical sense has disappeared.

This book deals with ÔbordersÕ. The contributions are written by Dutch and German economic geographers. Some contributions focus on the chances that different investment conditions on the other side of the border create for firms. Others deal explicitly with the lack of cross-border interaction even in areas where the border in a physical sense disappeared. The last contribution deals with the way policy-makers are looking at borders.