Forms of Regionalism (Edexcel A Level Politics): Revision Note

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The growth of regionalism

• Regionalism refers to the interconnected relationships that have formed between groups of states for multiple reasons

  • Geographical proximity to each other 

  • Share similar geographical conditions 

  • Share a common language, culture, religion or history 

  • Similar goals and interests

  • Similar levels of economic development or types of resources

  • Similar system of government 

• A growth in regionalism is often thought to be a response to global governance and to globalisation in general

  • With regionalism states strengthen their position and power in the global arena

  • Smaller group of states with characteristics in common are better able to address specific needs and policies 

  • Perceptions that global governance institutions favour powerful states

    • For example, the UN Security Council

  • Frustrations with global intergovernmental development organisations such as the World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund and World Bank

  • Globalisation is perceived to bring proportionally more benefits to powerful actors and states 

Economic regionalism

• Economic regionalism is the process by which states in a specific region form agreements to cooperate economically so that all will benefit

  • Many regional IGOs, though dealing with multiple challenges, prioritise the economic development of member states 

  • Mutually beneficial trade agreements made between states in a specific region are the most well known examples of economic regionalism

  • Economic regionalism ordinarily involves states that are in the same geographic region

    • The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an exception but they do share a valuable natural resource - oil

Security regionalism

• Security regionalism is when countries in the same region work together to prevent and combat shared  threats to security 

  • Terrorism and/or violent resistance groups

  • Cyber-attacks

  • Resource scarcity

  • Conflict 

• Security regionalism maintains peace and security with member states, participating in:

  • Multilateral agreements

  • Arms control treaties

  • Assessing military capabilities 

  • Intelligence gathering

• Examples of regional security organisations include

  • North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NATO

  • Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

• Many regional intergovernmental organisations deal with multiple political issues but also focus on maintaining peace and security

Political regionalism

At the international level amongst states

• Political regionalism is based less on geographical location, and more on shared political values

• However, due to historical and cultural factors shaping political values, states are often in close proximity

• They cooperate to find solutions to political issues and strengthen their power globally

Non-state actors and political regionalism 

• This usually occurs because of historical divisions which resulted in groups being absorbed into larger states

• These groups share some or all of the following:

  • A strong sense of shared cultural identity which differs from the majority

  • A dissatisfaction with their treatment or position as a group within the state 

  • A desire for more power

    • Either autonomy within the state or complete separation from the state 

• Examples include:

  • Catalonia in Spain

  • Scotland in the UK

  • Quebec in Canada