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The Working Papers Series on Comparative Regional Integration Studies is devoted to the study of regional integration from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. It covers theory, empirical work and policy analysis, and includes contributions on the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of co-operation at the level of both macro-regions and micro-regions. While committed to the highest academic standards, the series aims to be accessible to policy-makers and practitioners and seeks to encourage informed debate on comparative regional integration.
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15.10.07
W-2007/13: Regional Representation in the WTO - A New Role for Regional Trade Clubs?
By: Brigid Gavin
This paper analyses the crisis of decision making in the WTO from the perspective ofcollective action and public goods theory. At the heart of the current policy paralysis isthe inability of WTO members to collectively provide the global public good of amultilateral trade regime that benefits all. The rise of regionalism is explained bygovernments 'voting with their feet' and moving away from multilateralism. As the ECexperience shows, regions not only achieve more 'deep integration', they also provideregional public goods. Regional preferences are more homogeneous, values are moresimilar and socio-cultural ties closer than at the global level, which facilitates regionalcollective action. The paper proposes the creation of a 'Club of Regions' in the WTO asa means to recreate incentives for collective action at the global level. It would providea remedy for the present policy paralysis associated with consensus and the singleundertaking by providing a more flexible institutional framework and allow regionalactors to play a more positive role at the multilateral level.
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Since the independence of South Sudan both the South and the North face an even more urgent need to diversify their economies beyond oil. They also need to diversify their international partnerships. Despite the agreement of the... By: Dirk Hansohm
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This paper will explore the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE’s) understanding of the security concept and its application to the Organisation’s activities. It also evaluates the effectiveness and... By: Hana Umezawa
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The motivation to carry out the academic research that led to the results presented in this paper stems from the need to address some issues of conceptual and policy making importance, which are evident when considering some of... By: Fernando Gonzalez-Vigil and Hector Zevallos Urquieta
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On 16 April 2012 the World Bank’s (the Bank) Board of Executive Directors approved the nomination of Dr Jim Yong Kim as the new president of the World Bank Group. It is not surprising that, as an American, Dr Kim was selected.... By: Stephen Kingah and Georgios Papanagnou
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the development of UN-EU cooperation in peace and security and its present and prospective contribution to the maintenance of security in the 21st century. Both the UN and the EU have faced... By: Hana Umezawa
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One of the remarkable untold stories in the recent strides made in many countries to ascertain democratic freedoms has been the silence and reticence of regional parliaments. Many regional entities of the South, especially those... By: Stephen Kingah and Andrea Cofelice
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Sudan is a country that is emerging from a series of protracted wars. It is still grappling with new developments in its region including the creation of a new country in its south in the form of South Sudan. It is true that... By: Dirk Hansohm
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The G20 resolved in one of its Working Groups in 2008 to address the issues of reform in regional and multilateral development banks. This was partly in recognition of the fact that that some of the rules pertaining to the... By: Stephen Kingah and Aliya Salimzhuarova
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This paper will discuss some of the issues of legitimacy and inequalities perceived to be pervasive in the governance structure of the World Bank (WB). It will explore proposals of the Meltzer, Malan and Zedillo Commissions on... By: Stephen Kingah and Aliya Salimzhuarova
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The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the least integrated economy in the Asia-Pacific region, whose intraregional trade was only 5.6 per cent in 2006. In order to estimate potential trade of the SAARC... By: Swapan K. Bhattacharya and Couranga G. Das
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The final details of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and (six) ACP regions are being negotiated over the next few year. This paper suggests how EPAs can facilitate intra-regional trade, given that promoting... By: Oliver Morissey, Chris Milner and Evious Zgovu
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This paper deals with the role the regional UN Economic Commissions have played in support of regional integration processes in the past and explores their possible role in the future. Indeed, all regional UN Commissions have a... By: Edgard Moncayo Jiménez
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In the paper it is argued that given the economic characteristics of the PICs it was never realistic to expect that South-South FTAs such as PICTA and MSGTA could make a major contribution to addressing their trade needs. These... By: Robert Scollay
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For almost two decades, regional cooperation and integration has remained one of the most talked about issues of economic policy of the post-Soviet countries. There are hundreds of initiatives and projects that aim for deepened... By: Evgeny Vinokurov and Alexander Libman
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The fall of the Soviet Union is one of the main factors which contributed to an increasing interest in the problématique of space and regional dynamics in International Relations literature. It is therefore pertinent to consider... By: Ikboljon Qoraboyev
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Traditionally, sovereign states were the only international legal persons recognized by public international law. Only legal persons can enter into formal international legal relations. However, the emergence of intergovernmental... By: Eric C. Ip
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El documento presenta un análisis de la contribución de la CEPAL al pensamiento sobre la integración regional en Latinoamérica desde el inicio de sus actividades en 1948. Muestra como el primer regionalismo latinoamericano... By: Edgard Moncayo Jiménez
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This paper looks at how open FDI policies have been put in place in Colombia since the beginning of the 1990s. The authors look at the relative capacity of Colombia to attract FDI, the cost of the conflict on the economy and... By: Philippe De Lombaerde and Luis Jorge Garay
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We develop indicators to measure the degree of economic integration and cooperation among East Asian economies and compare these with similar measures for other regions. Our indicators cover regional integration in trade,... By: Giovanni Capannelli, Jong-Wha Lee and Peter Petri
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Many advanced countries have seen the emergence of new types of contractual arrangements, undergone technological change and increased imports from developing countries during last decades of the twentieth century. The... By: Nomaan Majid
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This paper focuses on the domestic determinants of the regional integration and trade policies in Colombia. The authors take the liberalisation programme (apertura) which was started by the administration of President César... By: Philippe De Lombaerde and Luis Jorge Garay
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As Henry Kissinger correctly stated, the major difference between Europe and the United States (US) in terms of the scope and vision of their respective foreign policies is that Washington has traditionally neglected the balance... By: Isidro Morales
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Le « Plan d’Action de coordination et coopération pour le contrôle des drogues dans la Caraïbe », dit Plan de la Barbade, a concentré les politiques de l’Union européenne, des Etats-Unis, de la Communauté des Caraïbes... By: Giovanni Molano Cruz
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Le Dialogue spécialisé d’Haut niveau entre l’Union européenne et la Communauté andine en matière de drogues est fondé sur les politiques régionales contre le trafic illicite de stupéfiants de chaque groupement régional. Quelle... By: Giovanni Molano Cruz
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Les analystes de l’intégration régionale privilégient une approche comparative comprise souvent comme l’examen d’hypothèses façonnées en fonction de l’expérience européenne. Cette approche est tellement ancrée dans les études des... By: Giovanni Molano Cruz
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Les liens et les interactions entre les sociétés ainsi que les rapports de celles-ci avec l’arène globale sont signalés comme propres à notre temps. La nouveauté ne réside pourtant pas dans l’existence de ces types de liens, mais... By: Giovanni Molano Cruz
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L’interrégionalisme est l’un des faits qui, au cours de la dernière décennie, s’est consolidé comme un trait distinctif de la scène globale. Les analystes s’y sont particulièrement intéressés, pour mener des recherches autour des... By: Giovanni Molano Cruz
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