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Revealing the footprint: Supranational organizations and transnational governance of biotechnology in southern A frica
Author(s) -
Mugwagwa Julius T.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
regional science policy and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.342
H-Index - 8
ISSN - 1757-7802
DOI - 10.1111/j.1757-7802.2012.01092.x
Subject(s) - corporate governance , biosafety , political science , footprint , convergence (economics) , global governance , economics , geography , biology , economic growth , microbiology and biotechnology , management , archaeology
This paper analyses the roles of three supranational organizations ( SNOs ), the A frican U nion ( AU ), N ew P artnership for A frica's D evelopment ( NEPAD ) and S outhern A frican D evelopment C ommunity ( SADC ), in the development of cross‐national policy, regulatory and administrative systems for managing modern biotechnology, also referred to as biosafety systems, in southern Africa. The desire for convergence of these systems is not an uncontested issue. Therefore in seeking to understand the feasibility of this policy agenda, this paper traces how the three SNOs are contributing towards coalescence of the many contending issues. One of the major arguments presented by the paper is that the policy footprint of the SNOs has varying intensity across the biosafety terrain of the region, leaving one wondering whether this is by design or by accident, and what impact this has on the countries that see the SNOs as rallying points for regional aspirations.