Region-Building in Africa: Political and Economic Challenges

by Daniel H. Levine (Editor), Dawn Nagar (Editor)

Overview

This landmark book is the first of its kind to assess the challenges of African region-building and regional integration across all five African sub-regions and more than five decades of experience, considering both political and economic aspects. Leading scholars and practitioners come together to analyze a range of entwined topics, including: the theoretical underpinnings that have informed Africa's regional integration trajectory; the political economy of integration, including the sources of different 'waves' of integration in pan-Africanism and the reaction to neo-liberal economic pressures; the complexities of integration in a context of weak states and the informal regionalization that often occurs in 'borderlands'; the increasing salience of Africa's relationships with rising extra-regional economic powers, including China and India; and comparative lessons from non-African regional blocs, including the EU, ASEAN, and the Southern Common Market. A core argument of this book, running through all chapters, is that region-building must be recognized as a political project as much as if not more than an economic one; successful region-building in Africa will need to include the complex political tasks of strengthening state capacity (including states' capacity as 'developmental states' that can actively engage in economic planning), resolving long-standing conflicts over resources and political dominance, improving democratic governance, and developing trans-national political structures that are legitimate and inclusive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781137601575
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	03/10/2016
Edition description:	1st ed. 2016
Pages:	348
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Daniel H. Levine is a consultant to the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR), Cape Town, South Africa, and a Research Fellow at the Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland, USA.

Dawn Nagar is a Researcher at the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR), Cape Town, South Africa.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Daniel Levine and Dawn Nagar
PART I: THEMES AND CONCEPTS OF REGION-BUILDING AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN AFRICA
1. Region-building Debates in a Global Context; Louise Fawcett \
2. Regional Integration in Africa: Theory and Practice; John Ravenhill
3. A Tale of Three Cassandras: Jean Monnet, Raúl Prebisch, and Adebayo Adedeji; Adekeye Adebajo
PART II: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF AFRICA'S REGION-BUILDING AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION INITIATIVES
4. Cross-border Interactions and Regionalism; Daniel Bach
5. Infrastructure and Regional Integration in Africa; Afeikhena Jerome and David Nabena
6. African Agency Post-2015: The Roles of Regional Powers and Developmental States in Regional Integration; Timothy M. Shaw
7. The Political Economy of Africa's Region-building and Regional Integration; Samuel K.B. Asante
PART III: THE AFRICAN UNION (AU) AND SUB-REGIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND INITIATIVES
8. The African Union and Region Integration in Africa; Kasaija Phillip Apuuli
9. Region-building in Southern Africa; Scott Taylor
10. Region-building in Eastern Africa; Gilbert M. Khadiagala
11. COMESA and SADC: The Era of Convergence; Dawn Nagar
12. Region-building in West Africa; Said Adejumobi
13. Region-building in Central Africa; René Lemarchand
14. Region-building in North Africa; Azzedine Layachi
PART IV: COMPARATIVE REGIONAL SCHEMES: LESSONS FOR AFRICA
15. Necessary but Not Automatic: How Europe Learned to Integrate; N. Piers Ludlow
16. Lessons from Asia: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations; Mely Caballero-Anthony
17. Lessons from Latin America: MERCOSUR; Laura Goméz-Mera
Conclusion; Daniel Levine

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Rich with lessons of success and limited gains in advancing regional integration, the probing of historical, conceptual, and technical issues in Africa’s continental and regional quest for integration and avoiding fragmentation makes this volume an enlightening contribution to contemporary social science. The span of scholarship and lived experiences of regional integration processes deserve to be pondered by politicians and technocrats alike.” (Patrick I. Gomes, Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States)

“This is a comprehensive, dynamic, and insightful collection of pieces about a diverse range of issues confronting efforts at region-building with a view to ensure human well-being, the protection of the environment, strong statehoods, and effective economies of scale. The book opens new vistas of opportunities for those looking for fresh ideas for research and pointers for policy action on region-building.” (Siphamandla Zondi, Director, Institute for Global Dialogue, University of South Africa)

“This volume brings together an impressive range of authors, including well-known names, emerging scholars, practitioners, and importantly a number of authors based in African institutions from across the continent. It is an important and interesting book which will make a significant contribution to the discipline.” (Carl Death, Senior Lecturer in International Political Economy, University of Manchester, UK)

Editorial Reviews

The book is substantial and constitutes a relevant reference point for the pan-African intelligentsia dealing with regionalism. Nineteen renowned authors provide contributions … . The book holds particular value for readers looking for themes fuelling debates on regionalism in Africa.” (Frank Mattheis, South African Journal of International Affairs, August, 2017)

From the Publisher