Regional integration

Regional integration is a stable long-term, voluntary co-operation of two or more actors ( states or state actors, particularly governments ) in a limited geographical area with the objective of establishing institutionalized merger and the common rules dar. in one or more policy areas

Legal basis for regional integration is usually a contractual arrangement made ​​by the substantive rules and / or institutions are created, where necessary, regulatory powers are transferred.

Static view ( degree of integration )

Projects of political and / or economic integration can be distinguished on the basis of two dimensions; these are:

The minimum bandwidth of the content is to limit cooperation to the control of a single narrow policy area represents (eg, the mutual waiver of restrictions on trade ), while the maximum would be a collaboration that extends to all kinds of policy fields. A minimum of authority would be the abandonment of the creation of common institutions, ie a purely intergovernmental cooperation, the maximum would be the formation of a new sovereign (federal) state.

Dynamic perspective ( integration process )

Integration as a political process called accordingly:

Processes of disintegration would thus be:

Integration theories

This is about political science approaches to the explanation of regional integration processes. Differences between these theories are, in particular:

Common explanations invoke:

Examples

The European Union ( EU) has in terms of both content bandwidth and the authority of the Community institutions the world's most advanced project is regional integration (see also European integration). Less highly integrated states communities on all continents, for example:

  • In South America, the Andean Community and Mercosur,
  • In North America, the North American Free Trade Agreement,
  • In Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC ) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS ),
  • In Asia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN).

In East Asia, there is still a little more formalized type of regional integration. While economic regionalization in other regions of the world has reached a comparable level, the formation of institutions (ASEAN plus system, the East Asia Summit ) is lagging behind due to political obstacles ( Ziltener 2012).

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