James Gerber received his PhD in Economics from the University of California, Davis. He is Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), a US Department of Education National Resource Center, at San Diego State University. He has been a visiting scholar and lecturer at several institutions, including the University of Calgary, the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana, the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur in La Paz, Mexico, and the Center for US-Mexican Studies at the University of California, San Diego. His current research examines economic development along the U.S.-Mexico border since 1950, while his most recent publication is the co-edited volume, Agricultural and Rural Connections in the Pacific, 1500-1900. He is the author of International Economics, now in its third edition, and numerous articles on North American integration. Dr. Gerber teaches several courses in the Latin American Studies program, including courses on research methodology, economic policy reform, economic integration, and introduction to Latin American Studies.