Our Mission
The mission of the Center for Border Economic Studies is to
- Focus on interdisciplinary policy-relevant research in support of sustainable economic development.
- Publish articles, monographs, books and reports that examine economic, social and political issues in the border region and make them available to policy-makers, business leaders, government officials, academics, students and border community in order to foster informed decision-making.
- Create strategic partnerships with private sector, foundations, government agencies, research scholars, and non-profits to further policy-relevant research that leads to border area economic development.
We address our objectives through two important publications.
Border Business Briefs
Border Business Briefs is a newsletter of the Center for Border Economic Studies (CBEST) at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. We publish articles focused on the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas, and North Tamaulipas. Our narrative is expressed through graphs, tables, and figures. Our publication covers topics in Border Security, Business functions, Economic development, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Human capital, Immigration, Manufacturing, Resource management, Social capital, and Trade. The articles we publish are research/analysis/policy focused on the needs of South Texas/Mexico border region.
Business Outlook Forecast
The Business Outlook and Forecast (BOF) is a forecast of State of Texas and Border Region economic activity. BOF publication produces a set of important economic indicators of future economic activity in the region.
Contract Services
CBEST provides contract services in policy research, survey design, data collection, data research analysis, data interpretation, presentations and reports. These services are performed for a fee. Please contact CBEST for additional information on the contract services we provide.
Organization
- Director
The CBEST Director oversees all personnel and every function of the center’s operation. The Director is responsible for the collection of data, data analysis, publication and dissemination of the center’s work. The director also serves as the Editor in Chief of all CBEST publications.
- Research Fellows
Research Associates are individuals who contribute to CBEST mission through scholarship. Research Associates are responsible for producing and contributing research articles, analysis, and forecasts of Rio Grande Valley, South Texas, and North Tamaulipas regions.
Our People
Director: |
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Maroula Khraiche, Ph. D. | ||||
Associate Professor | ||||
Department of Economics | ||||
maroula.khraiche@utrgv.edu | ||||
Phone: (956) 665-3391 | ||||
Office: ECOBE 216D | ||||
Faculty Research Fellows: |
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Gautam Hazarika, Ph. D. | Armando Lopez-Velasco, Ph. D. | Andre Mollick, Ph. D. | ||
Chair/Associate Professor | Assistant Professor | Professor | ||
Department of Economics | Department of Economics | Department of Economics | ||
gautam.hazarika@utrgv.edu | armando.lopezvelasco@utrgv.edu | andre.mollick@utrgv.edu | ||
Phone: (956) 882-8953 | Phone: (956) 665-3693 | Phone: (956) 665-7136 | ||
Office: BMAIN 2.438 | Office: ECOBE 226B | ECOBE 216B |