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Regional Integration: Bringing the Classical Theories
Back In?
-- Søren Dosenrode
This paper argues the case of usefulness of trying to create a general theory of Regional Integration
(RI). One approach could be to give the classical theories of integration a `second chance' and the
method would be comparative. After having discussed comparison as a method this paper discusses the
concept of RI, stressing the difference between RI and regional cooperation. The concept `full regional
integration' is introduced before two classical regional integration theories, federalism and neofunctionalism,
are presented. In a tentative analysis the two RI theories are used to analyze the United Arab Republic
of Egypt and Syria and the Mercosur. In both the cases the two theories shed light on what had
happened and why. Also they indicated the obstacles to further RI. Altogether the two analyses indicated that
the dismissal of federalism and neo-functionalism have been premature.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Regional Formations and Global Governance of
Social Policy
-- Luk Van Langenhove and Maria Cristina Macovei
It can be argued that we are witnessing the transition from a single world of states to a multiple world
of states and regions. Important actors in this new world order are the world regional organizations
and regional arrangements between states that have resulted from regional integration
processes. This paper explores how governance has evolved from an essentially state-led pre-occupation into a
complex phenomenon that involves many other actors and that is characterized by inter-linkages between
different (geographical) levels of policy-making. This paper discusses three main varieties of regional
integration that currently exist. First, there is the regional integration by removing economic obstacles, a
process that has resulted in a multitude of regional trade arrangements across the world. Secondly, there is
the regional integration by building institutions and regulations that often go beyond economic and
trade policies and that can be described as a `pooling' of sovereignty at a transnational level. Thirdly, there
is regional integration by building a geopolitical identity and actorness. Here the `world region' behaves
as an actor at the global scene, both through its own `foreign' policy and through its presence in
global institutions. And at last this paper begins the exploration of the consequences of these varieties of
regionalism for social policy. It will be argued that regionalism aimed at only creating free trade areas can put
severe pressures on existing national social policies of the countries involved. On the other hand the
development of a broader and deeper form of regionalism (often referred to as `new regionalism') can act as a
driver towards regional social policies. Moreover, in those rare cases where regionalism involves global
actorness, the regional external policy can contribute to the development of global social policies as well.
© 2010 Van Langenhove L and Macovei M C. An earlier version of this paper was published by the authors as Chapter 2:
"Regional Formations and Global Governance", in Deacon B, Macovei M C, Van Langenhove
L and Nicola Yeates (Eds.), World-Regional
Social Policy and Global Governance, pp. 9-26, Routledge, London.
China and Regional Integration:
From Bilateralism to Regional-Multilateralism
-- Xinning Song
Traditionally the preference of Chinese foreign policy was bilateralism or even unilateralism. From the
1990s, especially entering in the 21st Century, China paid more attention to multilateralism. This paper analyzes
the reasons why China gradually changed its approach. The Chinese understanding of multilateralism is
very much different from the European one. In practice the Chinese multilateral diplomacy has both global
and regional dimension and is mainly referred to as China's neighborhood policy. The strategy of the Chinese
new neighborhood policy is to change from the traditional `bilateral plus regional' approach, i.e., using
regional platform just to deal with bilateral relations, to a new `regional-multilateral plus bilateral' approach, i.e.,
to engage in more regional cooperation and work with neighboring countries within the
regional-multilateral arrangement to solve the bilateral problems. China's involvement in East Asian regional cooperation is
focusing on economics, especially trade. The basic argument for enhancing the regional economic cooperation
with East Asia countries should be a kind of functional approach. The first step is to establish three 10+1
Free Trade Areas (FTAs). The second step is to try a Northeast Asia FTA through three bilateral FTAs, and then
the third step is to transfer ASEAN plus one into a real 10+3 as a group, i.e., East Asia Free Trade Area
(EAFTA). In order to enhance the economic position, China also tries to upgrade its domestic industrial structure
and competitiveness on one hand and to participate in the horizontal international division of labor through
regional economic integration in East Asia on the other.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Economic Collaboration and Regional Integration
in Transnational Companies' Strategic Perspective
-- Olav Jull Sørensen
This paper discusses the rise of China in a business perspective and the implication of the growth of
Chinese economy and Asia at large on the EU. While the rise of China will be conceptualized from basically
an Industrial Economics and company strategic perspective, the implications for the EU (and China) will
be discussed within the framework of three scenarios, a linear transfer of technology scenario; a
dynamic market scenario, and a market-cum institutional development scenario. The basic message is that
history has neither come to an end with the job being to refine the market economy, nor will we enter a
period, where the winner, Asia, takes all. The present global integration processes will create a new playing
field for states, transnational companies and civil society and its organizations. This paper focuses on
the transnational companies and does not take into account the political aspects of business
development. Politics is only entering the discussion in the form of general terms such as liberalization policies,
public-private partnership and similar general terms.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Regional Integration/Cooperation in Brazil's and
China's Development and International Political Strategies
-- Steen Fryba Christensen and Li Xing
In this paper Brazil's and China's regional integration/cooperation strategies are compared. Brazil and
China are two rising powers on the global arena with a high impact on their respective regions. The view taken
in the analysis is not that regional integration is important in itself, instead, the analysis explains the kind
of regionalism promoted by Brazil and China in their respective roles in shaping and directing regional
integration/cooperation. Through the comparative analysis of their role in regional integration, we will be able to
understand not only their international political strategies of emphasizing on regionalism and South-South relations
but also the strategies of national development of the two states as well as their aim of changing the balance
of power in the world system and gaining a more prominent position on the world stage in the current era
of globalization and transnational capitalism. Our comparative analysis of the two countries' international
political strategies and the particular weight given to regionalism and South-South relations highlights the
significance of the wider international context, own development situations as well as the patterns of international
economic insertion for the chosen strategies. The paper starts out with an analysis of regional integration in
Latin America, and Brazil's strategies are followed by an analysis of regional integration in East Asia and
China's strategies. The conclusion sums up the main similarities and differences between the two countries and
the two regions.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
The Dynamics of Overlapping `Shallow'
and `Deep' Economic Integration: Greater Arab Free
Trade Area and European Neighborhood Policy in the Mediterranean
-- Wolfgang Zank
In the Mediterranean Basin two projects of economic integration overlap, namely the project of a
Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and a process of economic integration of the European Union (EU),
which neighbors into EU's Internal Market; the EU endeavors to strengthen cooperation with the neighbors
practically on all fields. For decades, in spite of high-pitch rhetoric about Pan-Arabism, practical Arab integration
was very limited. Hardly any other region was so divided politically. Furthermore, almost all Arab countries
followed inward-oriented development strategies with high protectionist tariffs. These severely constrained
economic transactions among the Arab countries. Thereby the Arab world became one of the most fragmented areas
in the world. Spillover effects from economic to political integration, which played an important role in
European integration could not take place. From the 1970s onwards a slow and often inconsistent transition to
open marked economies began. It improved the conditions for Arab economic cooperation considerably, and
in 1997 the GAFTA project was launched. It generated indeed increased trade. However, so far it
remained `shallow' integration, implying tariff reductions at the border, but not `deep' integration with changes
behind the border, such as common competition rules or common products standards. Therefore, numerous
non-tariff barriers still exist, and competition remains distorted. Arab voices demand `deep integration', but
this requires political decision-making and dispute settlements which would restrict state sovereignty.
Currently not many indicators point at such a transition in the Arab world. On the other hand, `deep' integration
has made considerable progress among the EU and some neighboring countries, notably Tunisia and
Morocco. The impacts have been far reaching, also in the political sphere. This process is likely to impact some
Arab countries much more than Arab integration. Theoretically it can be explained in terms of neofunctional theory.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
Integrative Cooperation in Africa
-- Gerrit Olivier
Since the end of colonialism and the emergence of independent nation states in Africa more than five
decades ago, regional integration was embraced by the African leadership as the best way to overcome the
debilitating effect of the balkanization of the continent into a large number of mostly nonviable national states.
The notions of pan-Africanism, African Unity (AU) and African fraternity inspired, legitimized and underpinned
the various efforts towards the integration goal starting with the formation of the Organization of African
Unity (OAU), its successor the AU and the subsequent establishment of eight Regional Economic
Communities (RECs) in African sub-regions. In spite of the logic and imperative force of the ideal, the transformation
in Africa from interstate cooperation to supranational integration has not yet been made in any of the
applicable areas or levels of interaction. The main stumbling block in this process was and still is `nationalism', the
nation state, a colonial creation in Africa. The question thus arises whether integrative cooperation, which characterizes
intrastate relations in Africa, will at some point metamorphose into the creation of a "United States of
Africa" (USAf), or whether other regional and sub-regional permutations of African integration, like a Union
of African States will become possible, or, finally, will Africa simply muddle along the same road as before.
This paper explores the possibilities in this regard.
© 2010 IUP. All Rights Reserved.
BOOK REVIEW
Terrorism: Concepts and Problems
-- Author: Debnarayan Modak, Reviewed by Sobhanlal Datta Gupta
© 2010 The IUP holds the copyright for the review. All Rights Reserved.
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