The Arizona-Sonora regional economy is improving in several areas, but weaknesses remain that hamper its competitiveness with other border regions, according to a report released Friday.
The 2006 Arizona-Sonora Regional Economic Indicators report is based on a University of Arizona analysis of the region in five areas: comptitiveness in NAFTA and global markets, cross-border economic interactions, performance of leading industry sectors, development of the knowledge-based economy and dimensions of quality of life.
The states of Arizona and Sonora are measured jointly relative to other U.S.-Mexico border regions.
"We have seen improvements in the short term. However, the longer- term trends in the region relative to our position are declining," said Vera Pavlakovich-Kochi, direcor of the regional development program for the UA's Office of Economic and Policy Analysis and one of the study's authors. "In the longer term we still see the region has persistent weaknesses."
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The biennial report found the region's competitiveness in both NAFTA and global markets improved, border ports increased trade and became more specialized in electronic equipment and machinery, and region retained its role as a leading gateway for Mexican agricultural prodects to enter U.S. and Canadian markets.
The only indicator showing no improvement over two years ago was Sonora's maquiladora sector, which grew at the slowest pace of Mexico's border states.
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