From Developmental Regionalism to Developmental Interregionalism: The European Union Approach. NCRE Working Paper No. 07/01. July 2007

[From the Introduction] The purpose of this paper is to explore this concept of developmental regionalism, looking at its history, and its perceived benefits today. Discussion therefore begins with an investigation of the historic application of regionalism to development. Consideration is given to the linking of ‘old’ regionalism to Structuralist and Dependency views of the international economy and the causes of underdevelopment, and of the ‘new’ regionalism’s ties to the Neoliberal counterrevolution in development thinking. The paper then moves on to exploring some of the perceived benefits, both economic and non-economic, for developing countries of the new developmental regionalism. Finally, the paper considers the manner in which developmental regionalism is being applied by the EU. Specifically, it is concerned with the interregional context of the new developmental regionalism. In other words, it is interested in the way in which the EU approach firmly entrenches developmental regionalism within the broader architecture of global governance, and the synergies between developmental regionalism and interregionalism – can we conceive a ‘developmental interregionalism’? In this respect, this paper constitutes a first tentative attempt to explore a formal role for interregionalism in development