African book: Monitoring regional integration in Southern Africa Yearbook. Volume 7 (2007)
Posted by sociolingo on May 3, 2008
Source: ELDIS
This book is available for free download from:
http://www.nepru.org.na/fileadmin/download/books/MRIY_07_total_book.pdf
Monitoring regional integration in Southern Africa Yearbook. Volume 7 (2007)
The flawed rationale for a customs union and other challenges for Southern African regional integration
Authors: A. Bösl; W. Breytenbach; T. Hartzenberg; Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (TRALAC)
Publisher: Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit , 2007
External and internal developments have raised the regional integration agenda in southern Africa to a new level. However, the region remains committed to a linear model of regional integration: a customs union is seen as the logical next step to take. But this might be an unrealistic and inappropriate target at this stage.
Against this background, the chapters of this volume explore:
- whether African economic integration needs a shift of paradigm favouring thedevelopment of national capacities
- the implications of a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) era
- the role of regional integration for good governance and electoral reform
- the links between democracy and development
- the flaws of the rationale for forming a single customs territory in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), particularly with regard to the growing economic differences among SADC members
- the need for deeper integration, notably with regard to services, investment and competition policy
- lessons from two recent decisions of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ)
- the minimal role of regional judicial bodies’ jurisprudence
- reasons for which the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is not an effective framework for regional integration
- the overshadowing of the role of South Africa
- challenges and options for harmonising value added tax systems
