The North American Integration and Development (NAID) Center was created to conduct ongoing research concerning North American integration and to assist communities and governments with policies and investment projects for sustainable and equitable development across borders. Towards this goal, the NAID Center seeks to build linkages among a wide variety of institutions and organizations in North America, including the North American Development Bank (NADBank).

The NAID Center is a founding member of the NADBank Community Adjustment and Investment Technical Assistance Consortium, which includes two important national Latino organizations: the Southwest Voter Research Institute and the National Council of La Raza. NAID Center staff and other Consortium members worked with Congressman Esteban Torres to create the NADBank in 1993 as a part of the NAFTA implementing legislation. The NAID Center and the NADBank Consortium are working to create partnerships and computer-aided linkages with other universities, non-governmental organizations, labor unions, private sector firms, local governments, and other agents of community economic empowerment. Our goal is to assist localities which suffer NAFTA-related job displacement to identify alternative strategies for sustainable economic development and to apply for financing from NADBank and other sources.

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