Comparative regionalisms for development in the 21st century

The proliferation of regional communities in the last few decades has attracted increasing attention from scholars, who explore whether this tendency shows examples of resistance to globalization or whether these organizations are simply ‘comprador’ to the interests of global capital. This edited collection makes an important contribution to understanding the varieties of regionalisms and the impact such organizations have. It contributes to the literature by bringing new empirical work to our attention. While it does not succeed in advancing our theoretical understanding of comparative regionalisms, or help to build a strong foundation of comparative studies, it does stress the ‘diversity and pluralism’ inherent in the field of ‘comparative regionalism’ (p. 258). The volume consists of a foreword (by Luk van Langenhove, Director of the United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies), an introduction, 12 chapters, and a conclusion. It focuses on regional integration processes in Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Latin America, and (even) the European Union. However, eight chapters directly engage with topics concerning African countries. The contributors have focused on specific countries (South Africa), specific regional organizations (Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS), while also developing wide-ranging chapters on regional integration in Africa. The variety of topics explored includes human rights, democracy, economic integration, global governance, aid for trade, and regional security.