may be important within our quantitative model or simply need to be introduced as control
variables.
A case study analysis was conducted for the regions of Rosario, Argentina which is
involved in the trade agreements of Mercosur and Mexico which is affiliated with the North
American Free Trade Association (NAFTA). These regions were chosen because both Mercosur
and NAFTA created a deregulation of trade although limited in the case of Mercosur which only
includes the countries of (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay).
Rosario/ Argentina and Mercosur/ Case Study
As illustrated earlier, the region of Argentina was chosen due to its increased
deregulation of trade in the early 1990s. During this time period Argentina became a member of
Mercosur and furthered its role as one of the most industrialized regions in Latin America. The
area of Rosario was targeted in this case study because it is one of the main cities within
Argentina that has felt the greatest impacts from trade deregulation.
Mercosur was developed to encourage free trade between the regions of Paraguay,
Uruguay , Brazil and Argentina. The effects of trade deregulation on the environmental
conditions of Rosario as a result of Mercosur have not been quantified. The only existing
quantitative study examines the possible benefits that Mercosur may have on Argentina as trade
with the European Union (EU) increases. (Bchir, 2001) In this analysis I will only focus on the
region of Rosario, Argentina to provide an overview of how trade has affected the environmental
conditions of this region after the implementation of Mercosur.
In Rosario, Argentina the government of the country, through its Ministry of Economics
and Public Works, developed a project for the construction of a new bridge between Rosario,
Convention