Design Premise Co-production Model (DPCM): A Conceptual Framework for Border Modernization and Coordinated Border Management

This working paper presents the Design Premise Co-production Model (DPCM), a conceptual framework for border modernization and Coordinated Border Management (CBM). The model proposes that many post-implementation adjustments observed in border modernization initiatives — modifications to procedures, technological adaptations, or regulatory amendments — originate during the design phase, when the premises underpinning a solution are constructed from an incomplete understanding of cross-border operations. This phenomenon is defined as design premise misalignment. The DPCM identifies two complementary forms of knowledge: institutional knowledge, held by public agencies through their legal mandates; and operational knowledge, distributed among private sector operators who execute cross-border trade transactions daily. Because the knowledge required to construct robust design premises is distributed between these two groups, the model proposes that design premises should be co-produced through the systematic integration of both forms of knowledge from the earliest stages of solution design. The framework contributes to the conceptual foundations of CBM by reframing private sector engagement as an epistemological input to design, rather than solely a governance or consultation mechanism. This version (v0.1) presents the model's core concepts, principles and six-stage co-production process, and outlines directions for empirical development.Keywordscoordinated border management, trade facilitation, border modernization, private sector engagement, design premises