Regionalism Among Developing Countries [Hardcover]

In the last decade, regionalism appears to have emerged as a major new force in the world. This book puts it in its historical context. Regions have emerged before; few are old because they either evolve into federal systems or break up. The current regions are less dominant than their critics fear (they account for about a third of world trade), but imply more integration than a simple view that they are about liberalising trade. All go beyond trade to other linkages, and all the enduring ones have political as well as economic agendas.In the last decade, regionalism appears to have emerged as a major new force in the world. This book puts it in its historical context. Regions have emerged before; few are old because they either evolve into federal systems or break up. The current regions are less dominant than their critics fear (they account for about a third of world trade), but imply more integration than a simple view that they are about liberalising trade. All go beyond trade to other linkages, and all the enduring ones have political as well as economic agendas.Sheila Page is Research Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute.