The Politics of Regional Integration in Latin America: Theoretical and Comparative Explorations (The Sciences Po Series in International Relations and Political Economy)

This book offers a unique perspective of the different experiences of regional integration in Latin America, drawing from theoretically framed case studies on Central America, MERCOSUR, and the Andean Region. It explores new explanations of the widely admitted failure of regional integration in this continent, linking the features of regional institutional arrangements with domestic politics. It also manages both to place the politics of integration in time and to account for the latest development of regionalism following the continent’s turn to the left. The book includes an inquiry into regionalism at the hemispherical level, tackling the issue of contentious integration. The type of governance that is building up in the Americas does not seem to be compatible with the pursuit of traditional regional projects and even less with the launching of a new more radical one like the Venezuelan Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Tables and Figures......Page 10 Acknowledgments and Preface......Page 14 Acronyms......Page 16 Part 1 Introduction......Page 30 One: Historical and Theoretical Guideline......Page 32 Part 2 Political Instrumentalization of Regional Economic Integration......Page 66 Two: Resolving Regional Crises......Page 68 Three: Building a Collective Defense of Democracy......Page 90 Part 3 Design and Development of Institutions......Page 112 Four: Institutional Isomorphism......Page 114 Five: Scope and Level of Integration: Explaining a Mismatch......Page 136 Part 4 Democratizing Regional Integration......Page 160 Six: The Parliamentary Option......Page 162 Seven: Integration from Below......Page 182 Eight: Integration and Common Goods......Page 202 Part 5 The Contentious Politics of Integration......Page 222 Nine: Regional Multilevel Governance in the Americas?......Page 224 Conclusion......Page 244 Notes......Page 250 Bibliography......Page 274 C......Page 284 D......Page 285 I......Page 286 P......Page 287 W......Page 288 "This book offers a unique perspective of the different experiences of regional integration in Latin America, drawing from theoretically framed case studies on Central America, MERCOSUR, and the Andean Region. It explores new explanations of the widely admitted failure of regional integration in this continent, linking the features of regional institutional arrangements with domestic politics. It also manages both to place the politics of integration in time and to account for the latest development of regionalism following the continent s turn to the left." "The book includes an inquiry into regionalism at the hemispherical level, tackling the issue of contentious integration. The type of governance that is building up in the Americas does not seem to be compatible with the pursuit of traditional regional projects and even less with the launching of a new more radical one like the Venezuelan Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA)."--Jacket