  We investigate the role of the boundary in the symmetric simple exclusion
process with competing nonlocal and local hopping events. With open boundaries,
the system undergoes a first order phase transition from a finite density phase
to an empty road phase as the nonlocal hopping rate increases. Using a cluster
stability analysis, we determine the location of such an abrupt nonequilibrium
phase transition, which agrees well with numerical results. Our cluster
analysis provides a physical insight into the mechanism behind this transition.
We also explain why the transition becomes discontinuous in contrast to the
case with periodic boundary conditions, in which the continuous phase
transition has been observed.
