ADVANTAGES OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION
Regional economic integration enhances political cooperation. Several group of nation can have significantly greater political influence than each nation would have by individually. This integration is an essential strategy to address the effects or issues of conflicts and political instability that may affect the region. Improved political cooperation due to regional economic integration is also useful tool to handle the social and economic challenges associated with globalization. Countries which are link together will be more dependent on each other that will reduce the likelihood of violent conflict between each nation. This integration will also give countries greater political clout when dealing
…show more content…
Trade creation occurs when low cost producers within free trade area replace high cost domestic producers. These agreements create more opportunities for countries to trade with one another by removing the trade barriers and investment. Trade creation allows member countries for a wider selection of goods and services not previously available. They can acquire goods and services at a lower cost after trade barriers due to lowered tariffs or removal of tariffs which will encourage more trade between member countries the balance of money spend from cheaper goods and services, can be used to buy more products and services. Regional economic integration significantly contributes to the relatively high growth rates in the nation. By removing trade barriers between members countries the factor of production can be move …show more content…
The opposite side to trade creation is trade diversion. Trade diversion occurs when higher cost suppliers within the free trade area replace lower cost external suppliers. Member countries may trade more with each other than with non-member nations. This may increase trade with a less efficient or more expensive producer because it is in a member country. Weaker companies can be protected inadvertently with the bloc agreement acting as a trade barrier. In essence, regional agreements have formed new trade barriers with countries outside of the trading bloc. In a simple word, trade diversion is diverted from a non-member country to a member country despite the inefficiency in cost. For example, a country has to stop trading with a low cost manufacture in a non-member country and trade with a manufacturer in a member country which has a higher
He then, states that the number of jobs lost barely even put a dent in the number of jobs produced by trade. Another important issue of the trade system is that the people who get rich from trade, keep getting richer while the poor stay poor. This is partially solved by protectionism (taxing imports), although it slows economic growth in the long run and protects some of the jobs that would be lost in the short run. To help understand the price of trade barriers, he explains this by stopping trade across the Mississippi River. This shows that the east side would then have to stop producing their goods and spend some of their time producing what the west side used to export. Although, there would be an increase in jobs, it would not be efficient because they are not using specialization to their full advantage. The author then moves on to the point that trade lowers the price of goods, due to it being cheaper to produce in other areas. He portrays this by showing why Nike can produce shoes in Vietnam instead of the United States. He further elaborates his point by proving that trade helps poor countries as
In conclusion, economic integration and economic globalization help reduce the probability of interstate belligerency because war negatively impacts the markets and investments, post World War reconstruction helps build stronger economies and lastly, countries would rather focus on specialization than war. In addition, economic integration and economic globalization help the economy grow and expand. These points show that war and conflict is decreasing because countries that are economically integrated prefer to free trade without any restrictions. As a result, markets increase since countries have more access to trade and that leads to an increase in globalization, whereas war would put the countries’ economies at risk.
”Examine the extent to which the benefits of UK membership in the European Union outweigh the costs” Economic integration is the joining of economic policies between different states/regions. This eliminates tariff and non-tariff barriers to the flow of goods, services and factors of production between the regions. Economic integration has varying levels referred to as trading blocs; these are a form economic integration. A trading bloc is a group of nations that have been made a bilateral or multilateral agreement. There are four types of trading blocs.
Few governments will argue that the exchange of goods and services across international borders is a bad thing. However, the degree to which an international trading system is open may come into contest with a state’s ability to protect its interests. Free trade is often portrayed in a good light, with focus placed on the material benefits. Theoretically, free trade enables a distribution of resources across state lines. A country’s workforce may become more productive as it specializes in products that it has a comparative advantage. Free trade minimizes the chance that a market will have a surplus of one product and not enough of another. Arguably, comparative specialization leads to efficiency and growth.
Our global world is becoming more connected as we become integrated politically, socially and even economically. Due to the Bretton Woods agreement, different countries have been economically dependent on each other in fear of war to erupt. From then on, different organizations and policies tied more countries into being economic globalized. This economic globalization has then given us many opportunities in trade and more access to natural resources in other countries. Unfortunately, there are some negative effects that are brought to less developed countries.
Uvalic, M. (2002, July). Regional Cooperation and the Enlargement of the European Union: Lessons Learned? International Political Science Review, 23(3), 319-333.
Trade liberalisation involves the removal of barriers to trade between different countries and encouraging the free exchange of goods between nations. This includes the removal or reduction of tariff obstacles, such as duties and surcharges, and non-tariff obstacles, such as licensing rules, quotas and other requirements. Most of the economic literature considers that trade liberalisation leads to an increase in welfare derived from an improved allocation of domestic resources.
All nations can get the benefits of free trade by being specialized in producing goods they have a comparative advantage and then trade them with goods produced by other nations in the world. This is evidenced by comparative advantage theory. Trade depends on many factors, country's history, institution, size and. geographical position and many more. Also, the countries put trade barriers for the exchange of their goods and services with other nations in order to protect their own company from foreign competition, or to protect consumers from undesirable products, or sometimes it may be inadvertent.
Theoretically, the aim of regional economic integration is to appreciate member countries’ incremental trade possibilities that may be generated by elimination or reduction obstructions to trade and investment (both tariff and non-tariff barriers), encouragement and facilitation of such trade via harmonization of their trade-related regulatory systems, and coordination of compatible macroeconomic policies. It is argued that the possible economic gains for regional integration arrangements include trade creation, increased efficiency of production through increased specialization, increased domestic production, enhancement of product quality, inward investment and transfer of new technologies, and improved domestic terms of trade. Such benefits can be attained through the combined size of their collective productive capacities and markets and the sectoral complementarities that may exist among them. For regional economic integration to be beneficial to all concerned, the benefits of integration must exceed the costs associated with the exercise of integration (Sunny et al,
They explain that, with the reduced or zero tariffs imposed making foreign suppliers easily lowering their prices, local companies have to compete with the prices, which they should do even if it is difficult for them, or consumers will go for imported goods over their locally produced products- Opponents of free trade say that with the increasing competition this treaty offers, some businesses might close down or decide to do business elsewhere. When this happens, workers will be displaced. Regardless of the reduced prices, this will still have an effect on these workers because they will be unemployed or paid with lower wages. - the opponents of free trade will continue to espouse the old argument that "the jobs created by globalization are often less sustaining and secure than the livelihoods abolished by it [in poor countries]." (froning)
Increased production- the free trade enables the countries to specialize in production of those commodities which are having comparative advantage. In international trade the size of the firm’s market is increased resulting in lower average costs and increased productivity.
CAFTA, the Central America Free Trade Agreement, or commonly known as the Dominican RepublicCentral America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), is a free trade agreement. In international trade, free trade is an idealized market model, often stated as a political objective, in which trade of goods and services between countries are not hindered by government imposed tariffs (taxes on imports) or non-tariffs (Wikipedia, 2007).
Political stability is very important for the successful achievement of anything in the country. Similarly, it is essential to maintain regional development because there is difference in the existence of income and wealth among the regions.
Much of the political case for regional economic integration stems from national security. Another case study provided by Hill is the European Union. The nation states of Western Europe bonded together in an effort to deal with the political giants of the USSR to the east and the USA to the west. Further, regional economic integration can facilitate political harmony between nations due to their increased level of
Regional integration is the process by which two or more states agree to cooperate closely together to achieve peace, stability and wealth. Usually, integration involves one or more written agreements that describe the area of cooperation in detail, as well as some coordinating bodies representing the countries involved.