The Political Economy of Regionalism

The Political Economy of Regionalism: The Case of Southern Africa challenges prevailing wisdom, showing how ruling political elites and 'big business' join forces with certain external actors in order to promote market integration and economic globalization, boost regimes, and to satisfy group-specific and even personal interests. Only rarely do these forms of regionalism contribute to the poor and disadvantaged, who instead opt out, and survive through informal economic regionalisms or seek to create regionalisms rooted in civil society.

Autorentext

FREDRIK SÖDERBAUM is at the Department of Peace and Development Research, Göteborg University (Padrigu), and the United Nations University/Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU/CRIS). Recent books include Regionalization in a Globalizing World, Theories of New Regionalism, The New Regionalism of Africa, Regionalism and Uneven Development in Southern Africa: The Case of the Maputo Development Corridor.

Zusammenfassung
Using the new regionalism approach (NRA), this book shows that an array of state, market, civil society as well as external actors are involved in a s series of overlapping, contradictory and sometimes competing forms of regionalism in Southern Africa. We are witnessing the creation of many 'partnerships' between ruling political elites, 'big business' and external actors (such as the World Bank, the EU, USA and Western donors), that seek to take advantage of economic globalization, reinforce privatization and market integration, boost narrow regime and patrimonial interests, and sometimes even the personal interests of involved actors. Only rarely do these forms of regionalism contribute to the poor and disadvantaged, who instead opt out and survive through informal economic regionalism or seek to create regionalisms rooted in civil society.

Inhalt

Introduction Reviewing The Theoretical Landscape Theorizing the New Regionalism Approach The Historical Construction of 'Southern Africa' The Political Economy of Formal and Informal Regionalism Civil Society Regionalism The Political Economy of Shared River Basins: The Case of the Zambezi The Political Economy of Micro-regionalism: The Case of the Maputo Development Corridor Conclusion