Gaudence Nyirabikali

Regional Integration: the Politics of Regional Economic Communities in Africa Gaudence Nyirabikali

The 1980s saw a renewed momentum in regional integration throughout the world. In contrast to previous approaches that focused on market protection using a range of tariff and non tariff barriers, the 'New Regionalism', as termed by scholars in this area, strives for efficiency in production and market access, through a multidimensional approach encompassing economic, political, social and cultural aspects, within a regional setting. Through lenses of 'New Regionalism', this book examines the process of regional integration in Africa and its potential as a development strategy for Regional Economic Communities working in partnership with the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa's Development. A succinct analysis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) offers insights in prevailing levels of 'regionness', but also about challenges and related complexities with respect to intra and extra regional markets, as well as in terms of policy formulation and implementation. This book should be useful to professionals in international development, academia, and to anyone else with interest in development and cooperation.