Games regional actors play: dependency, regionalism, and integration theory for the Global South
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Games regional actors play: dependency, regionalism, and integration theory for the Global South Sebastian Krapohl1
© Springer Nature Limited 2019
Abstract Prevailing integration theories suffer from Eurocentrism and cannot be applied to developing regions, because they implicitly rely on intraregional economic interdependence as a driving force for regional integration. This article starts from the observation that intraregional economic interdependence is low and dependence on extra-regional economic relations is high in the Global South. The aim of regional integration in developing regions is not the liberalisation and regulation of intraregional trade, rather an effort to improve the regions’ competitiveness on the global market. Well-integrated developing regions may attract more extra-regional investment inflows and negotiate better access to extra-regional export markets, but the regional member states also compete with each other for their respective shares in extra-regional investment and trade. Dominant regional powers may do better in this competition if they act unilaterally and strive for privileged economic relations with extra-regional partners. As a result, the respective member states defect and regional integration is stalled. Case studies of MERCOSUR and SADC confirm that Brazil and South Africa protected their privileged positions during the last 15 years. In contrast, ASEAN is not dominated by a regional power and economic integration has proceeded due to the gains from extra-regional cooperation within the ASEAN + 3 framework. Keywords ASEAN · Comparative regionalism · Developing regions · Game theory · MERCOSUR · SADC
The title The Games Regional Actors Play is a reference to Fritz W. Scharpf’s book ‘The Games Real Actors Play’ (Scharpf 1997). * Sebastian Krapohl [email protected] 1
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Vol.:(0123456789)
S. Krapohl
Introduction Since the early 1990s, the new regionalism in the Global South has become a tool for developing countries to escape marginalisation on the global market, but fluctuations between regional cooperation and defection in developing regions are still a puzzle for political science. The classic integration theories suffer from inherent Eurocentrism (Söderbaum and Sbragia 2011; Warleigh-Lack and Rosamond 2010). However, the European integration process is more an exception than the rule, and it differs fundamentally from regional integration processes in developing regions. Economies in the Global South are economically less developed, less diversified, and less interdependent with regional neighbours. They are more dependent on trade with and investment from well-developed regions like Europe, North America, and increasingly, Northeast Asia. Thus, making intraregional trade and investment an unlikely driving force behind regional integration in the Global South; the extraregional interests of the regional member states are much more importa
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