Article I penned making the economic benefits for Sister Cities programs. This was a writing piece I generated during my internship with Aurora Sister Cities International.

1. Headline:
Making the Economic Case for Sister Cities
Authors:
Karlyn K. Shorb
Adam Mohrbacher
Article:
Sister cities are long-term, cooperative relationships forged between cities of different
countries. These partnerships begin through citizen action, and are formalized when two mayors
sign a memorandum of understanding establishing a sister city relationship. Liaisons who lead
sister city organizations guide organizational activities, which can range from cultural or
municipal exchange programs and the sharing of research information to humanitarian aid. In
the United States there are currently over 500 active sister cities programs and over 2100 sister
or friendship city partnerships.1
The state of Colorado alone has 18 programs in 18 cities with
well over 40 partnerships.
Ideally, sister cities programs help elevate a municipality’s position on the global stage.
In making the specific case for the economic benefits of a sister cities program, however, one
must look at its beginnings. Back in 1956, as the world struggled to recover from the chaotic
fallout of World War II, President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally established the idea of person-
to-person cooperation and citizen diplomacy. This nascent program was designed to foster a
reconciliatory air between peoples, generate diplomacy and produce cultural and educational
exchange between U.S. and international cities.
Due to the program’s popularity, Sister Cities International was established as a
separate, autonomous corporation in 1967. However, while the original intention of the initiative
was to create a sense of peace and understanding, sister cities programs today are being used
increasingly to form strategic partnerships. Many municipalities are incorporating these
programs into their long-term plans to increase global competitiveness in terms of trade, tourism
and foreign investment. This can be attributed to a variety of factors, such as globalization and
the breaking down of Cold War tensions, not to mention advances in transportation and
communication technologies. Yet, perhaps most influential is simply the renewed, 21st
century
focus on the urban city as being the nexus of social and economic life.
Recently, there have been a number of sister cities programs that affirm and corroborate
these trends. For example, The Minneapolis (Minnesota)-Ibaraki (Japan) Sister City Association
(MISCA) has focused on the presence of bio-business and medical technology in both cities,
and has initiated a variety of efforts to support research and development and increase
import/export activity. This has led to strong, tangible benefits, such as companies like Nidec
Copal (a Tokyo-based medical device firm) opening operations in Minnesota.2
In San Antonio,
even greater benefits have been achieved. Working together, the city’s trade offices and sister
cities program has helped facilitate the development of international trade infrastructure, while
connecting the San Antonio business community to markets in Japan and Mexico. This has
1 http://www.sister-cities.org/
2 Kaplan,A, personal communication, April 3,2015.

2. even led to a number of large conglomerates such as Sony and Toyota locating operations to
the region, which has provided jobs and profoundly stimulated the local economy.3
Other cases that showcase the economic potential of sister cities programs include the
sister city relationship between Chicago and Mexico City, which in 2013 signed a historic city-to-
city trade agreement. That agreement includes a series of joint initiatives in trade, innovation,
and education designed to increase employment, expand advanced industries, and strengthen
overall global competitiveness.4
Perhaps most spectacular is the case of Iowa, which
incorporated its 30-year sister-state relationship with China’s Hebei province into a broad effort
that in 2012 secured a $4.3 billion dollar soybean export deal.5i
The benefits of sister cities programs go beyond trade and business partnerships. These
programs also play a direct role in attracting tourism dollars. The evidence of this is plentiful,
with programs like Fort Worth citing over 500 annual program-connected visitors, and our own
Aurora Sister Cities playing a key role in Aurora hosting the AESAONE All-Ethiopian Soccer
Tournament, which resulted in more than 1,000 hotel room bookings.6
Lastly, sister cities can act as a powerful catalyst for encouraging corporate social
responsibility (CSR). As an important generator of local goodwill, CSR plays an integral role in
organizations and business entities looking to cultivate trusting, accessible relationships with
international markets. Denver Sister Cities International is one innovator in this arena. Through
a partnership with Terra Nova Insights LLC,7
an international development consulting agency,
this sister cities program is able to help facilitate easy corporate donations to each of its 10
different sister cities. This in turn helps foreign communities become more receptive to exterior
investment and trade, and allows substantial development to become exponentially more
palatable.
Ultimately, these economic benefits are the product of long-term relationship building.
This brings the conversation full circle, where the original intention behind the sister cities idea
again comes to the forefront. Mae Ferguson, CEO of Fort Worth Sister Cities, perhaps puts it
best when she remarked that programs like Fort Worth’s are “great at creating strong
relationships and making it ripe for businesses to take root.”8
This can’t be accomplished,
however, without strong support for these programs within their respective communities. By
getting behind efforts to foster cultural exchanges, humanitarian endeavors, or even simply
open lines of communication, municipalities are making worthwhile investments that can pay off
in spades. They are cultivating key civic assets that will help position their communities for
economic success in a highly complex and competitive world.
Interested in learning more about sister cities programs generally and/ or Aurora Sister Cities
International specifically? Please visit our web-site at: www.aurorasistercities.org/about/faqs/
Karlyn K. Shorb is the Executive Director of Aurora Sister Cities International.
3 http://comptroller.texas.gov/comptrol/fnotes/fn1209/sister-cities.php
4 http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2013/11/18-chicago-mexico-city-liu-donahue
5 http://www.rrstar.com/article/20130414/NEWS/304149931
6 http://www.aesaone.org/
7 http://www.terranovainsights.com/what-we-do/corporate-social-responsibility-intelligence/
8 http://comptroller.texas.gov/comptrol/fnotes/fn1209/sister-cities.php

3. Adam Mohrbacher is an intern at Aurora Sister Cities International currently pursuing his
Master’s degree in strategic communications.
i http://www.chinabusinessreview.com/from-cars-to-soybeans-us-exports-to-china-are-booming/