Suchergebnisse

Regional organization in Oceania has a history dating to the early post-war period while the rise of regional identities occurred somewhat later in the context of independence. This paper analyzes regionalization processes and accompanying discourses of regionalism relating to both pan-Pacific and more recent sub-regional developments. It pays particular attention to the dynamics of identity politics in the post-independence period and how these have played out in tensions within and between the varying exercises in regionalization. (Pac Rev/GIGA)

Gravity models have been extensively used to evaluate the trade effects of regional trading arrangements, (RTAs), especially over the last 10 years or so. Questions addressed by researchers include whether there is a regional bias to trade & identifiable trade affects attributable to RTAs. This paper reviews the evidence extant from this literature & evaluates the modeling & methodological issues confronted when applying gravity modeling to the analysis of regionalism. The paper argues that the approach has a distinctive role to play in evaluating trade effects & its application has been enhanced by both the refinement of theoretical underpinnings & development of econometric technique. 4 Tables, 34 References. Adapted from the source document.

Why have Asia's many projects in regionalism not been able to realize their stated goals, despite the fecundity of, and enthusiasm for, region-building initiatives over the last two decades? In an attempt to answer this question, this article identifies the pursuit of a holistic regionalism embodied in the desire for a regional community as a persistent goal in official discourse, and argues that an apparent state of frustration describes the difficulty of regional institutions and forums in bridging the growing gap between these articulated goals and actual outcomes. The empirical case for the argument here is provided by the founding of the East Asia Summit in 2005, which has disclosed the limits of both exclusive and inclusive models of regionalism in Asia. In exploring causation, the article argues that both structural and agential factors are at the heart of this problem. The tensions thrown up by the competing processes of realist and liberal-institutionalist order-building in Asia have imposed structural constraints on the ability of regional projects to realize their normative aspirations. Equally important in causing this state of frustration are the agents of regionalism - in particular, regional elites - who articulated the goal of a regional "Community" to propel regional projects, and have set the bar above the current capacities of regional institutions. (Contemp Southeast Asia/GIGA)