Theoretical Approach: The Situation-Structural Model as an Analytical Tool to Explain Regionalism

This chapter provides the analytical framework and guiding theory for this work. Muntschick develops an innovative situation-structural model to the analysis of regionalism that goes beyond Euro-centric and classic integration theories because it takes the impact of external actors explicitly into account. This—often neglected—aspect is of crucial importance in regions with mainly developing countries that show strong and asymmetric relations to extra-regional actors. Besides offering clear-cut definitions of regions and regionalism, Muntschick draws on insights from cooperation and regime theory in order to specify assumptions and deduce hypotheses about the emergence, institutional design…

Rescaling the European State - The Making of Territory and the Rise of the Meso, by Michael Keating (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2013, ISBN 9780199691562); xii+233pp., £50.00 hb.

Exogenous Interference: The European Union’s Economic Partnership Agreements and the Stalled SADC Customs Union

Focussing on the struggle for the scheduled SADC Customs Union, Muntschick reveals that extra-regional actors can actually have a negative impact on regional economic integration in the SADC. Firstly, this chapter refers to the organisation’s agenda on market integration and clarifies the intra-regional demand for the envisaged customs union. Secondly, it highlights the SADC member states’ important but asymmetric trade relations to the European Union and, in regard to this shadow structure of extra-regional interdependence, explains the interfering impact of Brussels’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) on deeper market integration in the SADC. This chapter concludes that the European U…

Regional Security Cooperation and the SADC’s Organ for Politics, Defence and Security: A Picture of Mixed Performance

This chapter provides a profound analysis of regional security cooperation in the SADC and focusses on the institutionalisation and performance of the organisation’s central conflict management institution, the Organ for Politics, Defence and Security (OPDS). By clarifying the regional security complex in every detail, Muntschick highlights the countries’ common demand for institutionalised regional security cooperation and reflects on the conflicting interstate interests on the institutional design of the SADC’s central security organ. External actors play no significant role, but a lack of compromise between the leading military powers, South Africa and Zimbabwe, is initially responsible …

Governance Transfer by Regional Organizations: Patching Together a Global Script, edited by T. A. Börzel and V. van Hüllen (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015, ISBN 9781137385635); xv+298pp., £65.00 hb.

Regional Powers as Leaders or Rambos? The Ambivalent Behaviour of Brazil and South Africa in Regional Economic Integration

The behaviour of regional powers towards their own regions is often volatile in the developing world, which leads to unstable integration processes. This article argues that this volatility is due to limited intra-regional gains from regional integration in developing regions, which implies that the behaviour of regional powers is constrained by extra-regional economic interests. When regional integration is not in conflict with extra-regional interests, regional powers provide regional leadership. However, when extra-regional interests are in conflict with regional integration, regional powers become regional Rambos. This argument is illustrated with the two examples of Brazil's behaviour …

Introduction: Research Interest and Research Questions

This chapter explores the theoretical and empirical puzzles of regionalism in the Global South on the example of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The SADC is one of the most realistic and promising examples of the new regionalism and shows constant dynamics in a number of policy areas. The main research interest of this much-needed analysis is to explain the emergence, institutional design and performance of regionalism in the SADC from a political science perspective. In order to provide innovative research, the analytical focus is on the role and influence of regional key countries and, particularly, external actors. Moreover, this chapter offers a comprehensive overview…

The Southern African Power Pool: An Electrifying Project with Untapped Potential

This chapter turns to infrastructure and gives an outstanding analysis of regional electricity cooperation in the SADC within the framework of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). The author illustrates the regional power imbalances in terms of national electricity generation and consumption which fuel the SADC countries’ demand for a regional electricity market and an interconnected regional power grid. It becomes clear that the SAPP’s institutional design is strongly influenced by South Africa as the hub of the existing power network and largest electricity producer. Influence by external actors is supportive of regional electricity cooperation since the EU provides funding for the SAP…

The Southern African Development Community (SADC): An Analytical Overview of Its History, Policies and Institutional Framework

This chapter gives fundamental background information about the history and development of regionalism in Southern Africa and about the current state of the SADC as a modern regional integration organisation. In terms of an analytical overview, Muntschick reflects briefly on the formation, character and objectives of the region’s old regionalisms such as the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), the Frontline States (FLS) and particularly the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) as predecessors of the SADC. Also, this chapter turns to the new regionalism and provides detailed information on the SADC as an organisation, its member states, key agenda and central poli…

The Protocol on Trade and the Creation of the Southern African Development Community Free Trade Area

The author offers a much-needed analysis of regional economic integration in the SADC and explains the successful establishment of the SADC Free Trade Area. He outlines the demand for regional market integration in the SADC’s member states from a structural perspective in consideration of intra-regional economic interdependence and trade relations. Against this background, this chapter provides an explanation of the specific provisions of the SADC Protocol on Trade that determined the institutional design of the free trade area. In this respect, Muntschick highlights the key role of South Africa as the regional economic hegemon. Finally, this chapter evaluates the performance of the SADC Fr…

The European Union and Interregionalism: Patterns of Engagement - By M. Doidge

Regional Economic Integration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC): Analysing the Dynamics and Performance

This article analyses the dynamics and performance of regional economic integration in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It proposes an innovative theoretical approach to the analysis of regionalism that refers to cooperation theory and takes the impact of external actors explicitly into account. The motivation for this research stems from the observation of a new wave of regionalism in the Global South. Many of these new or reformed regional integration organisations (RIOs) comprise of developing countries, particularly in Africa. In contrast to expectations of most mainstream integration theories, new regionalisms in the Southern Hemisphere have come into existence and sh…

The SADC Standby Force and Its Regional Peacekeeping Training Centre: Uncertain Operational Readiness and Future of an Externally Fuelled Brigade

This chapter offers a comprehensive explanation of why and how SADC countries engaged in military integration and put efforts in establishing a regional standby brigade with an associated peacekeeping training centre. This chapter pays special attention to the impact of extra-regional actors and donors’ funding in this regard since the development of the SADC Standby Force occurs at a time when the region lacks an actual external threat. Instead, the African Union, together with the EU, provides financial incentives and thus promotes the build-up of a SADC brigade. The EU’s external influence, however, has been ambivalent insofar as a freezing of donations paralysed the operational capacity…

The Impact of Regionalism on Democracy Building: An Examination of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Since the early 1990s, the world has witnessed a new wave of regionalism and a mushrooming of regional integration organizations, particularly in the global South. Focusing on Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ranks among the most promising examples of regionalism on the continent. The SADC explicitly aims at building and advancing democracy in the region and its member states as part of its broader agenda on regional development. From a political science perspective, there is general agreement that regional integration and parallel institution building can be useful measures to promote and strengthen democratic rule, since an appropriate institutional “lock-in” impl…