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The long-run effects of regional integration are analyzed in this book. On the basis of the development of a model of endogenous regional growth (which combines an endogenous growth model with aspects of ""new"" economic geography) and an empirical analysis of stylized facts for the European case, the monograph looks on mechanisms by which regional integration measures affect long-run growth rates as well as production and trade patterns. Integration measure¤s include trade liberalization, liberalization of factor flows, harmonization of policies as well as an enlargement of an integration bloc. The previous literature has always stressed the importance of such growth rate effects of regional integration, but has not - due to the lack of an appropriate theoretical framework, analyzed these effects in detail. The study present is a step towards closing this gap in the literature. Keywords: Integration, Regional Integration, European Integration Contents: Introduction: The Issues; Objectives and Method; Organization.- Empirical Observations: European Regions; Technology, Geography, and Growth; Summary.- Literature Overview: Static Models; Growth and International Integrat¤ion.- Growth and Economic Geography: The Basic Elements; A Two-Country Model; Short-Run Equilibrium; The Steady-State; Physical Capital; Appendix; Summary.- Deeper Regional Integration: Liberalization in a Two-Country Setting; Reg¤ional Integration as Partial Liberalization; Regional and Harmonized Policies; Summary.- Enlarging the Integration Bloc: Integrating a Lagging Country; Integrating a Developed Country; Leapfrogging through Integration; Summary.

Regionalization in general and regional integration in particular have taken place at a growing pace since the end of the Cold War, when states were set free from various security overlays. Regional integration is logical as it is supposed to advance wealth and peace. Still, the picture is far from clear and the process of regional integration is not automatic; disintegration takes place, as we saw in the cases of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia to mention a few. This is the case not only in states recently brought together but also in traditional states like Britain, The Netherlands and Spain where strong groups strive for independence. In some places regionalization is flourishing, but regional integration is not. Some regional integration projects like the North American Free Trade Agreement and Mercosur seem to stagnate. Certainly there are limits to regional integration. This comprehensive volume, written by high profiled academics, covers these themes by examining eleven cases ranging from the lack of integration in the Arctic and the Middle East, to ongoing or progressing integration in Europe to uncover what blocks regional integration, the results of which are used for developing new theoretical insights.--

Intro -- Contents -- Title -- Preface xi -- Abbreviations and Acronyms xv -- Chapter 1. Regional Integration Agreements: An Overview 1 -- Chapter 2. How Trade Blocs Increase Trade and Competition 31 -- Chapter 3. Making the Most of Regional Integration 63 -- Chapter 4. Stimulating Investment 101 -- Chapter 5. Growth and Location 123 -- Chapter 6. Integrating Domestic Policies 147 -- Chapter 7. Regional Integration as Politics 187 -- Chapter 8. Trade Blocs and the Rest of the World 209 -- Chapter 9. Rules of Thumb for Regionalism 261 -- Annex. Selected WTO Provisions on Regional Integration Arrangements 267 -- Bibliography 271 -- Index 299 -- LIST OF BOXES -- LIST OF FIGURES -- LIST OF TABLES.

Die beispiellose Verbreitung regionaler Integrationsabkommen hat eine kontroverse Diskussion über das Phänomen Regionalismus ausgelöst. Die Verfasserin greift die Diskussion um das Für und Wider der regionalen Strategie auf und beleuchtet dieses aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven. Dabei untersucht sie unter anderem folgende Fragen: Ist die Verfolgung der regionalen Strategie mit positiven oder negativen Wohlfahrtseffekten für die beteiligten Länder und die Welt als Ganzes verbunden? Ist Regionalismus ein Wegbereiter oder Stolperstein für liberale Handelsbeziehungen? Die wohlfahrtsökonomische Analyse zeigt, daß die Auswirkungen regionaler Integrationsstrategien auf die Wohlfahrt der Länder davon abhängen, in welchem Ausmaß positive handelsschaffende und negative handelsumlenkende Effekte auftreten. Um Aufschluß über die langfristigen, systematischen Auswirkungen des Regionalismus auf die globalen Wirtschaftsbeziehungen zu gewinnen, führt die Autorin über die wohlfahrtsökonomische Untersuchung hinaus auch eine polit-ökonomische Analyse durch. Diese zeigt, daß die Dynamik des Regionalismus durch die konkrete Ausgestaltung und Implementierung der jeweiligen Handelsabkommen, die Einflußmöglichkeiten der relevanten politischen Akteure sowie die nationalen und internationalen Rahmenbedingungen bestimmt wird. Regionalismus ist somit ein ambivalentes Phänomen, und seine Auswirkungen hängen von den konkreten Gegebenheiten ab. Damit stellt sich die Frage, wie die Rahmenbedingungen so gesetzt werden können, dass das regionale Vorgehen einen positiven Beitrag zu weltweit unbeschränkten Handelsbeziehungen leistet. Corinne Kaiser leitet deshalb abschließend auf Grundlage der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse Empfehlungen für eine sinnvolle Steuerung des Regionalismus ab

Interest in regional integration has recently revived in both developed and developing countries. The US has responded to the lack of progress in the Uruguay Round of the GATT by pursuing bilateral trade negotiations, while developing countries have been prompted to re-evaluate the potential benefits of regional integration. The tendency for the world trading system to divide into three blocs - the European Community, the Americas and East Asia - is providing their members with guaranteed access to large markets; however, poor non-member countries will suffer from the loss of access and the risk of trade wars is increased. In this book leading international experts assess the renewed attractiveness of regional integration to individual countries, the types of integration that are suitable to various circumstances, the conditions necessary to their success, and the relationship of regionalism to multilateral free trade

Hancock argues that there are three governance structures states can use when designing integration accords: plutocratic, supranational and intergovernmental. The first, in which states delegate to a wealthy state, has been largely ignored by scholars yet is both a logical choice and one that several states have chosen over the last 200 years.