Reaching across the Mekong: Local socioeconomic and gender effects of Lao-Thai crossborder linkages

A paper exploring socioeconomic and gender effects of Laos-Thai crossborder linkages. The authors discuss the physical setting of border facilities then explore their local effects on traders’ activities. They highlight changes in gender roles and perceptions of entrepreneurial competition participated in by women in the two research sites. The study shows that, while the planned impacts of regional integration are expected to be beneficial, effects on the ground vary, witnessed in the comparison between a sleepy outpost in Xayabury and a more vibrant crossing in Savannakhet.