Economic Integration in Southern Africa - a Risk of Strong Polarisation Effects or a Chance for Joint Development? |
Harald V. Proff |
Technical University of Darmstadt |
Copyright ©1998 Journal of Economic Integration |
ABSTRACT |
|
Despite negative experiences with regional integration in sub-Saharan Africa the SADC members announced in August 1996 to make the entire region a free trade area in the next eight years. This article evaluates the opportunity and threats of SADC in order to answer the question whether this integration will lead to strong polarisation effects or an opportunity for joint development in the region. It becomes clear that neither generalisations on welfare gains of regional integration nor generalisations on the distribution of the gains from integration are possible. However a clear tendency for mutual economic benefits of SADC can be deduced. (JEL Classifications: F15, O14) |
|
|
|
|