Search

Aim. To study the features of strategic planning and practical implementation of the concept of sustainable development of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals in the context of the formation of a new architecture of the world structure and a change in the current world order.Tasks. Consider the essence and principles of the SDG implementation; identify the specifics of the integration of the SDGs into the national strategies of individual states of the post-Soviet space; analyze the features of the localization of SDGs at the regional level using the example of Eurasian integration; determine the role of the EAEU in the context of the formation of a multipolar world system and strengthening the its position as a macro-regional center of the power; justify the priorities for achieving the SDGs in the context of sustainable development of the EAEU.Methods. To achieve the set goals the following methodological approaches were used in the article. The constructivist approach makes it possible to determine the essence of sustainable development, its significance for society and the economy, as well as to analyze the regulatory and legal framework of the EAEU countries in this area. Comparative analysis made it possible to determine the relationship of SDGs with changed world architectures in retrospect and the current conditions. Empirical analysis makes it possible to assess the practical steps and efforts of the EAEU countries to achieve the SDGs, including the implementation of innovative projects and the rational use of the resource base.Results. Understanding and regulation of sustainable development in the EAEU is justified. The study made it possible to establish that the countries of the Union attach importance to sustainable development, but at the legislative level there remains a problem of insufficient consistency of regulatory legal acts on this topic. This highlights the need for a clearer and more concrete regulatory framework for sustainable development. The study allowed to analyze the impact of globalization on the world and regional structure. It is argued, that the EAEU, as a regional association, has a unique opportunity to gain a foothold as one of the macro-regions in the multipolar world system. This provides strategic advantages in the context of a change in the world order on the way to multipolarity.Conclusions. The study identified a number of priority tasks contributing to the achievement of the SDGs in the context of the sustainable development of the EAEU. The most important factors in this context are: food independence, energy sustainability, strengthening economic integration, infrastructure development, focus on hard innovation and digitalization.

The study deals with theoretical and practical aspects of Azerbaijan’s participation in regional integration processes. The historical excursus of formation of international cooperation of Azerbaijan with the countries of CIS region and key economic partners in the world is considered. Azerbaijan’s economic interaction with the EAEU countries and possible potential of its development are analyzed. Based on the data of the State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, we have calculated the key indicators of Azerbaijan’s foreign trade with regional economic integration groupings and proposed their hierarchy. The study substantiates that there is a significant economic and socio-humanitarian potential of Azerbaijan’s attraction to the EAEU grouping. The possibilities of Azerbaijan’s integration interaction with the EAEU are objective in nature and are primarily related to its transport and geographical location, as well as to its production capabilities and the interaction of commodity markets. So far, the integration potential has not been fully realized, but there is a clear trend towards the rapprochement of Azerbaijan with the EAEU countries. Acceleration and deepening of the use of integration potential will depend on many factors, but first of all on geopolitical and socio-economic factors. The most realistic option for Azerbaijan’s integration into the EAEU grouping is the scenario of granting the country the status of an associate member followed by a deeper degree of economic integration.

This paper examines the central role of European environmental law in promoting sustainable development, regional integration, and globalisation. It examines the evolution of European environmental law, highlighting its historical development and its importance in the European sustainable development agenda. The relationship between European environmental law and regional integration is analysed, with an emphasis on cooperation between Member States and harmonisation of national legislation. It also discusses the contribution of European environmental law to global efforts to address environmental challenges, including the convergence of international standards and the role of the EU in international negotiations and agreements.

The study investigates the impact of SADC-EPA rules of origin on regional integration within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), addressing a research gap by analyzing economic activities among member states. Recognizing regional integration as pivotal for the SADC’s strategic objectives, understanding the implications of rules of origin is paramount for equitable benefit distribution. Through a comprehensive review of past research on regional agreements, the study delineates varying implications of rules of origin provisions on regional integration, contingent upon member states’ economic profiles. It emphasizes the importance of addressing economic disparities among countries and prioritizing technical capacity-building, especially for those with limited agricultural and industrial bases. Targeted capacity-building initiatives are recommended for nations with lower levels of agricultural and industrial development to ensure equitable participation and benefit-sharing from the SADC-EPA rules of origin, thus fostering sustainable regional integration and economic growth across the SADC region.

The 2004 "Big Bang" enlargement was a powerful reminder that European integration is an instrument for peace and not just prosperity. The pace of that enlargement depended more on the requirements for stability than on the transformation of the candidate countries. It was also a reminder of the importance of forward-looking analysis. Candidates might meet the criteria for membership at the time of accession, but that is no guarantee that they will develop in ways that continue to reflect those criteria once they have gained entry. Finally, it was a reminder that enlargement changes the experience of membership for all member states and not just for those countries that gain entry. A larger Union requires greater self-discipline to hold down congestion in decision-making and greater multilateral surveillance to prevent the actions of one member state from undermining the benefits of membership for the rest. These reminders are important lessons in planning the European Union's next historic enlargement. The next enlargement will follow a pace set by security considerations more than the transformative power of the accession process. It will depend on a robust analysis of convergence together with contingency planning for any staged accession. And it will require commitment from existing member states as well as candidate countries to what will become a very different European Union. This next enlargement will be challenging for all parts of Europe. Nevertheless, it is better than the alternative of no enlargement or an accession process with no credible endgame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 25 years, the Latin American beer sector has undergone important changes. The growth in beer production, consumption, and trade has been accompanied by a greater demand for malt and barley produced and traded in the region, displacing other traditional export countries of these inputs. Based on these facts, we studied the long-term relationship between this increase in beer production and the prices of imported inputs. In addition, we estimated the elasticities of demand of imported inputs of the main Latin American brewing countries. This allows us to infer about Latin America's competitive position as a supplier of its own beer inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this article are two-fold. First to provide a mapping of the regional initiatives and organizations and their link to regional tax cooperation and development. Second, to analyse how the existing regional cooperation initiatives and organizations can help to enhance regional economic development and to strengthen the voices of developing countries in international tax negotiations. This article concludes that the proliferation of memberships and organizations may be an obstacle to achieve regional economic development. Countries may want to participate in several agreements which may have the same or similar objectives, and in some cases, to withdraw from one or another, in order to focus on another agreement. The mapping of regional initiatives shows that more coordination is needed in order to strengthen the role of the regions in global tax negotiations not only at the BEPS Inclusive Framework but also at the United Nations level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent regional events and the geopolitical consequences of the Russo-Ukrainian war have had a profound impact on the dynamics among Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and the Central Asian Turkic states (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan). This shifting geopolitical landscape has been the catalyst of collaboration and integration for these countries under the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), an intergovernmental organization that aims to foster cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations. Being established in 2009, this emerging bloc has pursued a relatively low-profile policy on geopolitical issues in the past decade. However, after years of relatively little activity, things have started to change drastically due to the global situation that is being shaped by wider geopolitical factors. The OTS steadily began to pursue a more ambitious agenda and eventually helped bolster relations and stimulate regional socio-economic development efforts during the last four years, focusing on building stronger regional cooperation through ethnocultural links. The article examines how the Turkic alliance has stimulated functional cooperation through the facilitation of trade, investment, and economic cooperation among its members and observer states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Treaty establishing the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market Protocol advocates for the cross-border legal practice in the EAC. To effectively implement cross-border legal practice, other legal instruments were needed at the EAC level. It has been more than a decade since such instruments were drafted but not adopted. In addition, the Partner States needed to adopt laws that favor cross-border legal practice. So far, some Partner States have tried to do so, while others have not. Such disparities are the subject of this paper which, after taking stock of the status and obstacles to cross-border legal practice in the EAC, formulates recommendations to make cross-border legal practice a reality in the EAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the utility of a revised postfunctionalist theory in explaining regional (dis)integration dynamics. The case study employed to test the theoretical framework is based on Ukraine's regional integration processes with respect to Eurasian and European regional organizations in the early 2010s. The principal research question posed is: what factors contributed to Ukraine's decision to opt out of deeper integration with Eurasia in the early 2010s and pursue integration with the European Union insead, and how can this case study move the postfunctionalist theory forward? Three assumptions proposed by postfunctionalism, enriched with insights from social constructivism, were applied to the (dis)integration processes: salience, politicization, and collective identity. The analysis suggests that the revised postfunctionalist framework is indeed instrumental in explaining both integration and disintegration, providing insights into the role of collective identity mobilization once public discussion reaches a critical juncture in the politicization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The authors seek to advance the understanding of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) internationalization at the regional level and examine the role of home market institutions in this process. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analyze hypotheses with data from SMEs in five country markets and from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. A cluster analysis establishes the regional diversification patterns (based on regional diversification scope, speed and rhythm) and a multinomial regression tests the effect of home market institutions on their adoption. Findings: The results offer a refined picture of SME regional diversification by revealing three patterns: intra-regionally focused firms, late inter-region diversifiers and early inter-region diversifiers. They also suggest that the adoption of these patterns is determined by SMEs' home market institutions. Originality/value: The authors develop a nuanced understanding of SME internationalization by building upon and expanding the regionalization rationale in the internationalization patterns literature. Additionally, the authors address the acknowledged, yet rarely investigated, country-level determinants of internationalization patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the spatial–temporal evolution of regional integration and industrial green transformation and empirically investigates the impact of regional integration on industrial green transformation using prefecture-level panel data of cities in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration (YRDUA) from 2006 to 2018. The major findings are as follows: (1) during the observation period, the level of regional integration rose in general, with regions with a high integrated level expanding northward, southward, and westward in the YRDUA. Industrial green transformation has the property of path-dependent and a spatial lock-in pattern of "high in the east, low in the west." (2) There exists a considerable U-shaped relationship between regional integration and industrial green transformation; most cities in the YRDUA have crossed the inflection point in terms of integrated development. Regional integration has a positive spillover effect on the industrial green transformation of the surrounding areas, which diminishes as geographic distance increases. When the level of regional integration becomes excessive, it also impedes surrounding areas' industrial green transformation. (3) Regional integration can affect industrial green transformation by promoting economic scale expansion, industrial structure upgrading, and technological progress. At this moment, the economic scale is the most significant mediating factor. With the advancement of regional integration, technological progress will become critical. This paper provides a rationale for understanding industrial green transformation from the perspective of regional integration and enriches theoretical and empirical studies on ecological civilization construction and green development in urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe study unravels the relationship between trade and connectivity and presents a narrative to re-energise the South Asian regional economic integration in the post-pandemic period. In addition, the study also examines the effect on conflicts and institutional factors in South Asian trade. The study uses the bilateral gravity analysis in 2SLS (Two-Stage Least Squares) framework to address the endogeneity issues. The study finds that South Asia may gain enormously if they reduce the conflicts across the border and secure improvement in both hard and soft infrastructure. Given that the trade is a dynamic concept, connectivity disruption costs cause havoc to the region, which then promotes dis-integration. Facilitating business beyond the border in post-pandemic requires an enhanced trade facilitation and connectivity in the region. The renewed and shared agenda of the South Asian regional cooperation in post-pandemic should, therefore, aim to reduce both intra- and inter- regional trade facilitation gaps as well as to expand the connectivity. The process of South Asian regional integration has to contribute to narrowing the gaps by providing resources for the development of trade infrastructure. Therefore, South Asia has to enhance its own connectivity and trade facilitation arrangement to take forward the agenda of South Asian integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of carbon neutrality goals, local governments usually face the dilemma of whether to focus on economic development or environmental protection. Regional integration is a beneficial policy solution to address the challenges inherent to this dilemma. This research considers the expansion of the Urban Economic Coordination Committee in the Yangtze River Delta as a quasi-natural experiment in regional integration. It employs the difference-in-differences model to assess its potential for fostering a win–win situation in terms of economic growth and environmental protection, with the results showing that regional integration has a significantly positive impact on attaining this win–win situation. Inhibiting pollution transfer and promoting green transformation are crucial mechanisms by which regional integration can help strike a balance between economic growth and environmental protection. However, the effects of both regional integration and win–win mechanisms are heterogeneous across cities. The conclusion suggests that the government should accelerate the implementation of regional integration policies across a wider range, recognize and maximize the important role of intermediate mechanisms, and encourage cities to adopt different strategies according to their heterogeneous characteristics, forming a high-level collaborative development pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intensive land use and land marketization is an important engine for promoting regional integration, especially on the background of China's fragmented land market. It might be difficult to establish an integrated national land market in the short run. As a compromise, the establishment of regional land markets consisting of a few neighboring provinces could be an option. Particularly, the Yangtze River Delta Region (YRDR), could be an ideal place for such a policy trial. This study uses the data of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui in YRDR from 1999 to 2017 to quantitatively calibrate possible economic benefits when the land misallocation is corrected with an integrated land market. We find that, if an integrated construction land market was established in YRDR, and Anhui could transfer some of its construction land quota to Shanghai, the transaction between Anhui and Shanghai in 2017 could bring an improved income of 289.8 billion yuan in YRDR, ceteris paribus, about 1.73% of the regional gross domestic product. The integration of regional land markets has brought about significant efficiency improvements. This study provides insights into sustainable economic growth in future China and the regional development strategy of other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The free flow of factors resulting from regional integration affects not only economic and social activities between cities, but also climate and environmental changes. Under the goal of sustainable development, regional integration as a policy pathway to lower carbon intensity has rarely been clarified. In light of this, using panel data of 279 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper treats city cluster planning as a quasi-natural experiment of regional integration and aims to discuss the impact and mechanism of regional integration on carbon intensity through difference-in-differences (DID) method, mediating effect model and moderating effect model. The following results are reached: (1) The implementation of regional integration policy effectively reduces carbon intensity, and the conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. (2) Total factor productivity (TFP) is the mediator of regional integration to reduce carbon intensity, and population density, technological innovation and industrial upgrading are the moderators. (3) The effect of regional integration in reducing carbon intensity varies from city location and city features. The proposed theoretical framework of regional integration affecting carbon intensity, containing mediator and moderators, not only enriches the theoretical research in the field of environment and region, but also provides a new policy path for exploring sustainable development. Therefore, it is necessary to build urban agglomerations integrating the concepts of green, low carbon, intensive and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article explores the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) to ascertain whether it is a myth or a reality. It also examines its transparency, timeliness, and primary objectives. Against the backdrop of instability in the Middle East, mainly arising from the ongoing Gaza situation, the study assesses the regional and global implications of the IMEC, considering arguments both in favour and against the initiative. Nevertheless, the problem has a similar impact on all such ventures as China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since the successful realisation is contingent upon the stable and enabling regional environment. This exploration suffers from the challenge of access to authentic sources. Given the contemporary nature of the subject matter, this study will primarily rely on secondary literature. Employing an Intergovernmentalism theoretical approach, this research delves into the dynamics of IMEC, discussing its intended objectives and challenges. The central argument contends that a meticulous analysis of the corridor's cause and effect on Pakistan's economic and geostrategic interests is imperative. The IMEC initiative exhibits the potential of a relatively cheap system, enhancing contemporary transportation infrastructure. However, the study asserts that the IMEC presents an obvious threat to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the BRI, potentially compromising Pakistan's economic and strategic interests. The paper adopts a nuanced perspective, emphasising that IMEC and BRI contrast in strategic planning and development approaches. Should the IMEC materialise according to its envisaged plan, it will yield substantial diplomatic, strategic, and economic benefits for India. The article concludes by underscoring the challenges faced by IMEC, including coordination complexities, financial constraints for some participating nations, and potential geopolitical tensions affecting corridor operations. Bibliography Entry Khan, Raza Ali. 2024. "India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC): Rhetoric, Realities and Implications for Pakistan." Margalla Papers 28 (1): 75-92.

Regional integration plays an important role in dicarbon reduction and sustainability development. Based on dynamic panel model and spatial econometric model, this study analyzes the impact of market integration (MI) on industrial green transformation (IGT). The study finds that: (1) MI has a nonlinear relationship with the IGT. With the increasing of MI degree, the IGT shows the characteristic of first rising and then declining. (2) MI plays a role in the IGT mainly through industrial agglomeration, resource mismatch and green technological progress, respectively. (3) The impact of MI on IGT exhibits spatial heterogeneity. Although MI significantly promotes IGT in core cities, its impact on the IGT in peripheral cities is not significant. (4) The IGT has spatial spillover effect, and the improvement of MI degree in adjacent regions can also promote the IGT in the cities.

This study investigates inflation's influence on sustainability by taking regional integration and globalization index as moderating variables. The inflation rate is an important indicator to measure economic performance and evaluate any country's sustainability goals. Globalization and regional integration are important due to connectedness among regions and countries. This study analyzed data collected from 64 Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) countries from 2005 to 2020 using the two-step system Generalized Method of Moments method and the robustness tests for the validation. The results suggested that the inflation rate negatively impacts sustainability. BRI countries need to control the inflation rate to attain sustainability goals. However, the robust impact of the globalization index on the relationship between the inflation rate and sustainability is positive and the moderating impact of regional integration is also significantly positive on the connection between the inflation rate and sustainability. The globalization index and regional integration index have a positive impact because the global world is connected, and every country designs economic policies based on global data that is available to them. Countries are investing to enhance local manufacturing and production capacities and economic teams make decisions accordingly. Inflation rates can be managed, and sustainability can be attained by taking benefit from the concepts of globalization index and sustainability. Due to these phenomena, countries import cheap raw materials, clean and renewable technologies, and cheap goods and services from other countries to manage the supply-demand and control the inflation rate, ultimately resulting in sustainability.

The East Asian region is a major global economic player, given its economic size and potential. As such, regional economic integration of East Asia could be considered as an important building bloc towards integration of the Asia Pacific region. East Asia has made significant progress in creating institutions for closer cooperation and integration. East Asian regional production networks are the most integrated in the world, and regional financial initiatives have taken off. Gripped by this wave of regionalism, the East Asian economies have expedited further liberalization process and have started unmarked trade liberalization strategies, enhanced economic cooperation, and negotiating on currency un-ion. Since 1997, East Asian regionalism seems to have progressed and an East Asian Community is just around the corner. This paper is a study which presents the realities that East Asian regionalism is still lap-sided: economic regionalism is highly developed, while other key components (regional financial integration, education collaboration, and a regional political framework) are developing at a slower rate, stagnating, and/or regressing. It aims to present the reality of East Asian regionalism, provoke awareness of false perspectives, and present a recommendation towards a balanced and more sustainable East Asian integration.

This paper examines how APEC has transformed itself into an international forum for the vision of regional integration. It aims to quantify the documentation produced by the international organization and provide quantifiable evidence that aligns with prior knowledge rather than relying solely on intuition. For this purpose, I use various text mining techniques to extract multi-dimensional features from the text of APEC Leaders’ Declarations from 1993 to 2023. In terms of interest and expectations for APEC as a forum, it is found that members have experienced two major peaks and troughs over the last three decades. It is found that the change point coincides with the Asian financial crisis of 1997 and the tensions between the United States and China since 2017. To explore more various aspects of economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, this study also considers how consistently APEC has been an international forum for addressing issues, which members are active, and how members have clustered based on their views of APEC.

Regional integration strategically reorganizes spatially heterogeneous resources to maximize the overall benefits. Ecosystem services (ESs) are promising targets for regional integration due to their inherent heterogeneity and mobility, yet research in this area remains limited. This study quantifies crop production (CP), water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS), and habitat quality (HQ) for the years 2000, 2010, and 2020 using the InVEST model and identifies four ES bundles through a K-means cluster analysis. A conceptual ecosystem service flow (ESF) network at the service cluster scale is constructed based on county-level ESF data. The results reveal the following: (1) there is an upward trend in the ES budget for all services from 2000 to 2020, coupled with spatial mismatches between supply and demand; (2) deficit nodes for CP and CS services are concentrated in densely populated districts, while deficits in WY and HQ services are mainly in western Jilin Province; (3) Bundles I and II act as “sources” of ES, Bundle IV serves as a “sink”, and Bundle III is the only cluster with a CP surplus, balancing CP services across the province. In addition, this study provides ecological perspectives for understanding regional integration by suggesting differentiated integrated management for different ecosystem bundles.

Some research indicates that regional integration is more likely when power asymmetry exists among neighbouring states. Theoretically, preponderant powers can act as regional leaders because they can promote the development of collective goods that will entice others into partnerships. Other scholars argue that power asymmetry is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for integration. The preponderant power is to be willing to lead efforts. We argue that the US cannot lead North American regional integration when the voting public consumes negative messages concerning its least developed partner, Mexico. Negative portrayals of Mexico, whether justified or not, lower US public support and contribute to limiting the US political capacity to foster region building. The data analysis of a national representative sample (N = 1,133) using an online survey experiment confirms our hypotheses while controlling for various demographic factors and candidate support during the 2016 party election primaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South American regional integration has been part of the political rhetoric of South America governments since the creation of the first regional organizations in 1969. However, in each subcontinent (Central America, South America, North America), they have established their own systems of integration and governance. In South America, except for the Andean Community of Nations and Mercosur, the rest have had an important political condition, and their strengthening and permanence are related to the political convergence between the governments of the region, because they have the constitutional attributions about the formulation and execution of foreign policy. This article analyzes through the QCA, whether it is indeed the political dimension that effectively explains the promotion, encouragement, and consolidation of regional integration in the subcontinent. For this purpose, two dimensions are proposed: the first is economic, measured through two variables such as complementarity and commercial interdependence, and the political dimension, measured through two variables: ideological distance and whether the promotion of integration is part of the constitutions of each country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the exercise of multilateralism in Colombian foreign policy in the period 2018-2022, based on neoclassical realism, considering that the perception of decision-makers and systemic stimuli affect foreign policy. To this end, three cases of multilateral exercise of Colombian foreign policy were analyzed: the withdrawal of Unasur, its leadership in the creation of Prosur, and its participation in the Lima Group. The qualitative methodology was based on the review of official sources and various texts. It is concluded that Colombian foreign policy in the said period was the result of the reading and perception of external stimuli, that is, the United States sanctions against Venezuela, the loss of regional leadership of Brazil, and the return of right-wing governments in Latin America, among other phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the emergence of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in March 2018, which promises to become the largest economic integration area in the world with 54 member countries, exaggerated optimism has been generated, especially by different international organizations formerly critics like the World Bank, who now highly praise the benefits of the regional integration process. This article contributes to the understanding of the complexity in the implementation of this area, which delves into the analysis of the background, potential, scope and challenges of the AfCFTA. It is argued that this new attempt at regional integration is not very different or distant from neoliberal ideology and seems to be part of open regionalism that tends to favor outward integration, which is why it does not contribute to the solution of the enormous problems of underdevelopment, poverty and social injustice on the continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global economic landscape has undergone dynamic transformations, leading to an inter-connected and interdependent system. This evolution has prompted governments, particularly those of small and open economies, to adopt innovative instruments to bolster their competitiveness. The article explores the growing trend of utilizing participation in regional integration as a strategic tool in active foreign trade policy analyzing the specific challenges and opportunities for small and open economies. For them, integration might serve as a multifaceted foreign trade policy instrument, offering avenues to reduce vulnerability to external shocks, enhance competitiveness, preserve added value, and strengthen regional resilience. This proactive approach reflects an acknowledgment that participation in integration processes is a strategic means of advancing their interests and safeguarding their economies in an increasingly interconnected world. The proposed three-dimensional evaluation framework offers a nuanced analysis of integration processes, considering factors such as genesis, motivation, and development. This comprehensive approach provides valuable insights for policymakers, scholars, and analysts navigating the complexities of the contemporary international economic order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Union has faced a various challenge that have threatened the European integrative project as a whole. More recently, The- so called- Corona virus pandemic as a health crisis in 2020 has presented several challenges in terms of health, humanitarian and political issues between European countries and the world as a whole. This crisis, which is considered a health crisis, but its effects extended to the political relations between the European nations within the framework of European integration. In light of the pandemic and in the context of the globalization of risks. The European institutions were demanded to save the European health security, especially after the huge human losses it caused. In this crisis proved that the self-help system is the best option to confront the pandemic nationally. Accordingly, this study aims to analyze the effects of the Corona virus crisis on European regional integration focusing on the European response to the crisis and its implications for the future of the European integrated project as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Relaciones Internacionales, Estrategia y Seguridad is the property of Revista de Relaciones Internacionales, Estrategia y Seguridad and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Estudios Internacionales is the property of Instituto de Estudios Internacionales de la Universidad de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The study aims to monitor whether the implementation of investment projects in the 2014-2020 programming period is in line with the approved national strategic framework for economic integration of the regions in Bulgaria. The focus of the report is on financial instruments as an alternative form of financing. A method of deduction was used to describe the financial instruments. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the implementation of investments through them, an analysis of 10 selected municipal projects was made by tracking the progress of the financial resource absorption on a quarterly basis. From the official website of the Institute for Market Economics, data on the level of asymmetry of the different regions in terms of investments made and infrastructure are obtained. As a result of the study, it was found that despite the successful implementation of the Operational Programme "Regions in Growth" 2014-2020, the imbalance in the development of the different regions in Bulgaria remains significant. The lack of sufficient administrative capacity of municipalities and various procedural delays make municipal projects financed by the financial instrument unfeasible within the deadlines set for them. The findings of the study could be useful while new financial instruments in Bulgaria are implementing. The increased risk of non-compliance with municipal projects has be taken into consideration along with targeted action for the economic and social integration of Bulgaria's lagging regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article explores the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) to ascertain whether it is a myth or a reality. It also examines its transparency, timeliness, and primary objectives. Against the backdrop of instability in the Middle East, mainly arising from the ongoing Gaza situation, the study assesses the regional and global implications of the IMEC, considering arguments both in favour and against the initiative. Nevertheless, the problem has a similar impact on all such ventures as China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since the successful realisation is contingent upon the stable and enabling regional environment. This exploration suffers from the challenge of access to authentic sources. Given the contemporary nature of the subject matter, this study will primarily rely on secondary literature. Employing an Intergovernmentalism theoretical approach, this research delves into the dynamics of IMEC, discussing its intended objectives and challenges. The central argument contends that a meticulous analysis of the corridor's cause and effect on Pakistan's economic and geostrategic interests is imperative. The IMEC initiative exhibits the potential of a relatively cheap system, enhancing contemporary transportation infrastructure. However, the study asserts that the IMEC presents an obvious threat to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the BRI, potentially compromising Pakistan's economic and strategic interests. The paper adopts a nuanced perspective, emphasising that IMEC and BRI contrast in strategic planning and development approaches. Should the IMEC materialise according to its envisaged plan, it will yield substantial diplomatic, strategic, and economic benefits for India. The article concludes by underscoring the challenges faced by IMEC, including coordination complexities, financial constraints for some participating nations, and potential geopolitical tensions affecting corridor operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional integration, as an essential measurement for solving unbalanced and uncoordinated regional development, plays an important role in achieving regional sustainable development. In this study, we aimed to construct a systematic research framework to facilitate the development of regional integration. Using 31 prefecture-level cities in the urban agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (MYR-UA) as case sites, this study applied box plots, kernel density estimation, GIS visualization tools, Markov chains, and geographic detectors to reveal the dynamic spatiotemporal evolution and factors influencing regional integration from 2009 to 2018. The results indicate that the level of regional integration and its subsystem development is suboptimal in MYR-UA; the temporal characteristic shows an upward fluctuating trend, and the spatial distribution shows remarkable spatial correlation and clustering characteristics. Additionally, we found that the level of regional integration development in MYR-UA has both "path dependence" and "self-locking" effects, and the spatial lag type has a crucial impact on the degree of regional transfer stability. The dominant factors affecting regional integration development include the GDP per capita, economic openness, industrial structure, proportion of education expenditure in fiscal expenditure, urbanization rate, proportion of environmental investment in fiscal expenditure, population density, capital flow, information flow, and technology flow. Finally, based on the findings of this study, policy recommendations for promoting regional integration are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of Eurasian integration has become a key and dynamic phenomenon in modern international relations. The present study is focused on assessing the potential of legal development of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), justification of measures for its adaptation to the changing social and legal reality. The current legal integration model of the EAEU is assessed. The focus of the study is on three interrelated issues: key aspects of legal integration, including the creation and development of legal frameworks, their principles, as well as the relationship between the national legal systems of the member states and EAEU law; the place of EAEU norms in the national legal system of Kazakhstan; and the justification of strategic paths and measures for the long-term integration evolution of the EAEU. In conclusion, this article offers findings on the legal complexities of Eurasian integration. The importance of legal cooperation and harmonization as essential components of the evolving project of regional integration is highlighted. The results of the study expand the potential of the theory of integration processes in Eurasia, fill it with new methodological content, and allow conceptualizing the implementation of further empirical studies of integration processes in the post-Soviet space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estado & Comunes, revista de politicas y problemas publicos is the property of Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales (IAEN) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The theory of international regime complexity that frames this study specifies expectations for international cooperation stemming from different combinations of hierarchy and differentiation among institutions in regime complexes. This paper compares relationships between regional financial arrangements and the International Monetary Fund in the regional complexes for crisis finance in East Asia, Latin America, and the euro area during 2000-2019 and tests these expectations. Creditor states that sit at the nexus between global and regional institutions are particularly influential in the choice of architecture (the combination of hierarchy and differentiation) for these complexes but are constrained by arrangements inherited from previous decades. Once chosen, the complex's architecture in turn shapes policy adjustment in borrowing countries and influences whether states pursue regime shifting or competitive regime creation when dissatisfied with institutions. These findings generally coincide with expectations, but exceed the degree of policy adjustment that the core theory expected for the euro area. Interinstitutional collaboration, the dynamics of which are elaborated, fills this explanatory gap. The paper concludes that relations among institutions are essential for understanding the outcomes and evolution of regime complexes and underpin a more complete explanation than provided by singular institutionalism, the power-gap hypothesis and other alternative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customs unions enable countries to freely access each other's markets, which is thought to increase intra-regional trade and economic growth. However, accession to a customs union also comes with the condition that all members need to consent to a common external trade policy. Especially if countries feature different economic structures, this may act as a force against the creation of large customs unions. In this paper, we propose a new mathematical approach to model the optimal size and composition of customs unions in the form of a bi-objective combinatorial non-linear problem. We also use a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (NSGA-II) to search for the best (non-dominated) configurations using data on the trade flows and economic characteristics of 200 countries. Our algorithm identifies 445 different configurations that are strictly preferable, from a global perspective, to the real-world landscape of customs unions. However, many of these non-dominated configurations have the feature that they improve outcomes for the world as a whole, on average, but not for all individual countries. The best configurations tend to favour the creation of a few large customs unions and several smaller ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regional integration institutions play an important but ambiguous role in the liberal international system, especially when it comes to trade policy. The Covid-19 pandemic generated a trade crisis, which gave them an opportunity to expand their role in a liberal or illiberal direction. An analysis of the framing and policy measures of five key regional institutions in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia will demonstrate whether they were geared towards liberalisation and/or interventionism in early 2020. The European Union stood out for its strong collective action on trade, working out a new balance between interventionism and liberalism. Other institutions hinted at interventionism but did not take collective action. The trade response was overwhelmingly state-driven, and regional institutions outside Europe clearly have limited agency in the global trade system. While their behaviour is difficult to qualify ideologically, their framing supported liberal principles of international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Istanbul Commerce University Journal of Social Sciences / İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Istanbul Commerce University Journal of Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of GeSec: Revista de Gestao e Secretariado is the property of Sindicato das Secretarias e Secretarios do Estado de Sao Paulo (SINSESP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) is an initiative aimed at promoting regional integration and economic development in Africa. It seeks to establish a single market for goods and services, enhance intra-African trade, and foster economic growth across the continent. However, there are challenges to regional integration in Africa, including disparities in economic development, trade barriers, weak institutional frameworks, and inadequate infrastructure. The adoption of the AfCFTA Agreement in 2019 has brought more African nations together to address these challenges and promote deep cooperation. Recommendations include fostering inclusive growth, economic diversification, and the inclusion of marginalized sectors. The AfCFTA Agreement has the potential to be transformative in advancing regional integration and economic prosperity in Africa, but a pragmatic approach is needed to address these integration challenges. [Extracted from the article]