Open AccessOvercoming the development problem of the Nation-State in Africa through regionalism
Author(s) -
S. K. B. Asante
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
suid-afrikaanse tydskrif vir ekonomiese en bestuurswetenskappe/south african journal of economic and management sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.277
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 2222-3436
pISSN - 1015-8812
DOI - 10.4102/sajems.v3i1.2596
Subject(s) - regionalism (politics) , pessimism , optimism , politics , development economics , political science , population , economics , european union , political economy , economic system , international trade , sociology , democracy , psychology , social psychology , philosophy , demography , epistemology , law
Regionalism, of which the European Union is a successful example, has also been adopted by several African countries. The economic problems to be overcome here, more often than not include a sparse population, small internal markets, deficient infrastructure and economies vulnerable to fluctuating world prices. A further rationale for regionalism is more explicitly political in nature. Meeting the challenges of African development through a strategy of regionalism has been an enormous task in the past, and while there may be grounds for pessimism, this paper views the future with guarded optimism.