REGIONALISM AS A DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18485/Keywords:
regionalism, development, Africa, ECOWAS, developmental regionalismAbstract
The paper attempts to answer the question of whether regionalism has proven to be an effective development strategy in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Taking into account the number of regional integrations characteristic of the mentioned geographical area, the author resorts to the case study method, and applies the theoretical framework to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is considered one of the continent’s most successful integration. From a theoretical point of view, the paper relies on the “developmental regionalism” approach, which the author considers more suitable for the research of regionalism in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to previously used ones. Hence another aim of the paper is to draw attention to the differences between the approaches within the theories of regionalism. Relevant documents of the Economic Community of West African States, the “Human Development Report” of the United Nations Development Programme and the African Regional Integration Index of the African Union, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa were used in data collection and processing.
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