When dependence becomes leverage

UBC Sauder’s Harish Krishnan uses the Canada–US relationship to examine how economic power can reshape business decisions and supply chains. Published in Alumni Digest as verified reporting from the University of British Columbia.

UBC Sauder’s Harish Krishnan uses the Canada–US relationship to examine how economic power can reshape business decisions and supply chains.

Alumni Digest editorial deskSeptember 18, 20262 min read

In the September issue

Campus

UBC Vancouver & OkanaganPoint Grey & Kelowna

Focus

Research & public discoveryIdeas

Outcome

Verified reportingSeptember 2026 issue

The context

Where the work begins

Harish Krishnan’s analysis begins with a concrete question about Bombardier and the US market. The wider lesson is about dependence: when one market matters disproportionately, access can become a source of pressure.

The work

In the field

The article connects current tariff politics with a broader argument about economic leverage. It also notes a limit to that leverage, because cross-border firms bring suppliers, workers and customers on both sides of the relationship.

The takeaway

What follows

For alumni watching their own industries, the useful takeaway is a question rather than a forecast: where are the alternatives, and what would it take to build them?

When dependence becomes leverage

Where the work begins

In the field

What follows

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