An assessment of the extent to which increased global and regional integration has changed the functioning of the world economy. With contributions from both academics and professionals, it analyses the implications for global trade, relocation of production, structural changes and the international transmission of shocks.

Essay from the year 2019 in the subject Economics - Foreign Trade Theory, Trade Policy, University of KwaZulu-Natal, language: English, abstract: The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) are a fine example of explaining the new dimension of economic regionalism where BRICS’ intra-regional trade relations become the binding factor towards its economic integration and independence. The existing literature is focused on the economic integration of the five emerging countries, for example the economic integration theory (EIT) assumes that increasing globalization and technological progress leads to freer trade and movement of economic factors as well as to deeper integration over time. It shows that physical border is no longer a criterion for economic interdependence and integration within a group while the concerns and common interests form important factors for a new dimension of economic regionalism. The concept of economic regionalism is defined as an empirically observable process of increasing cross-border activities, cooperation and coordination within a group of countries through integration. Originally, the concept of economic regionalism has been based on economic cooperation between natural partners (neighbouring countries or countries on the same continent). But since technological progress reduced transaction costs, intercontinental and global economic integration has become important in recent decades. Geographical distance may stay important for trade flows, but intercontinental relations of emerging countries record a steady rise in trade relations. In general, regionalism could be defined as preferential cooperation among nations that are relocated in terms of geographical proximity, with certain common characteristics such as historical, cultural, political and so forth. The objective of cooperation might be economic, political, or cultural in nature. In this context, the economic regionalism is considered more autonomous, outward-oriented, comprehensive and multi-dimensional process which includes trade and economic integration, environment and social policy issues relating to security and democracy, where the nation-states and other actors play an important role.

The prospects and value of economic integration and regionalism in Asia are increasingly evident in what could turn out to be 'the Asian Century'. It is within this context that this important book explores the critical economic issues, security concerns and political themes pertinent to Asia in general, and to East Asia in particular. The book features contributions by both Asian and Western scholars who take an interdisciplinary approach encompassing economics, political science and culture. They address various issues including the application of European experiences to Asia, and blend regional country perspectives with broader external views from Russia and the US. In conclusion, the book suggests a tentative roadmap and future directions for an Asian community asserting the importance of cultural and value studies. This objective analysis of Asian regionalism explores perspectives from both within and outside the region. As such it will prove a fascinating read for academics and researchers, practitioners and policy-makers in a wide variety of fields, including Asian studies, economics, public policy, political economy, international relations and regional science.

Regional trade agreements have expanded exponentially over the past decade, and have become a significant, if controversial, factor in the expanse of economic globalization. Social Regionalism in the Global Economy attempts to take a fresh, interdisciplinary approach to addressing labour regulation by drawing upon insights from industrial relations, comparative capitalism, and new governance schools of thought. It stands for the proposition that an interdisciplinary study of regional regulation holds the potential to offer a fuller account of social regionalism. Its focus is to consider how institutions and labour market actors reconstruct and renegotiate regulatory space in a changing economic environment characterized by regional impulses. It argues that there is a dynamic interplay between institutions and actors of social regulation. This interplay occurs at many levels. The book therefore maps both how actors shape institutions as well as how institutions shape social actors’ ability to affect regulatory processes. The editors bring together leading international specialists willing to move beyond textual analyses of regional agreements to offer alternative accounts of regional integration. The work emphasizes that institutional context and social actors at multiple governance levels are integral to the progressive construction and regulation of regional space. It further contributes to the literature by combining insights from overlooked regional entities in transition and developing countries with original analyses from the European Union and the NAFTA. These aims will be achieved by combining original research that is empirically grounded with theoretically informed analysis.

The process of globalization can be seen in the increase of: trade interdependence, the importance of global multinational corporations, mobility and volatility of capital flows (with dangers demonstrated by the recent Mexican crisis). This globalization creates both dangers and new opportunities, both winners and losers. The parallel growth of regional blocs is equally hazardous, particularly for countries left outside the regional blocs. The book, with contributions by eminent experts, describes the impact of both globalization and regionalization and the relationship between these two dominant trends.

This book presents a theory of economic integration in developing regions, where the level of intraregional economic interdependence is low and the dependence on extra-regional economic relations is high. It argues that the success or failure of regional integration in the Global South is to a large degree dependent on the reaction of extra-regional actors in Europe, North America and Northeast Asia. In doing so, it demonstrates that longstanding European integration theories cannot be successfully applied to other world regions, where economic conditions are fundamentally different. By providing detailed empirical analyses that are systematic in their use of a common theoretical and methodological framework the authors fill a significant lacuna in our understanding of these issues. This edited volume will appeal to students and scholars of comparative regionalism, area studies and global governance.