Regional integration: towards an inclusive value chain strategy

Includes bibliography.Regional integration is a multidimensional process which may take the form of coordination, cooperation, convergence and deep integration initiatives and whose scope extends not only to economic and trade issues but to political, social, cultural and environmental ones as well. The present document focuses on the productive dimension of integration and the way this can contribute to the strategy of structural change for equality that ECLAC has been advocating since 2010. This is a return, then, to a subject that has traditionally been at the centre of ECLAC thinking about integration and development. Another aim is to contribute to the current debate about the role of integration in Latin America and the Caribbean in the light of the significant shifts taking place in the global economy. These include rapid technological change, the growing economic weight of Asia and emerging economies generally, the rise of global value chains and the trend towards the creation of integrated macroregions.Chapter I: The evolving political economy of regional integration.-- Chapter II: A complex global economic environment.-- Chapter III: A summary of the main transformations taking place in the global economy.-- Chapter IV: The need for regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean in response to the ongoing global transformations.-- Chapter V: The link between integration and industrialization.-- Chapter VI: The special challenges of integration in the Caribbean.-- Chapter VII: Ten recommendations for regional integration