S0509 Regional Integration in Europe, the Americas, and Asia: Comparative Perspectives

In the past few years, there has been so much discussion about \"globalization\" that it is easy to imagine that economic integration is happening largely at a global rather than a regional scale. This is not the case. Economic integration has been moving faster and farther within regions than between them. This is clearest, of course, in Europe, with the establishment of the European Union on a continental scale. But it is also true in the Americas. Spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the extension of many of its benefits to the Caribbean, and to a lesser extent by the Mercosur agreement in the Southern Cone, intra-regional trade and investment in both North and South America have grown much more rapidly than trade between North and South America. Even in Asia, there are informal patterns of regional integration that knit together the economies of Northeast and Southeast Asia in economic divisions of labor that strengthen the region as a whole.\r\n

This course will analyze many of the social, political, and economic issues raised by regional integration in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, with an emphasis on the interplay between public and private forms of governance in each regional setting. Particular attention will be given to Italy\'s diverse and dynamic industrial districts, which have been lauded for their ability to remain innovative and cohesive despite the pressures of intensified global competition.

\r\nCourse requirements
There is a great deal of material relevant to the subject matter of this course. A number of potential readings are listed at the end of this syllabus, and I will designate the required readings on a weekly basis according to the themes listed in the course outline. I will also encourage students to find additional materials for their papers through searching the Internet and accessing websites that I will make available to you. If possible, I will try to arrange field trips for members of the class to one or more of the many dynamic industrial districts located in the Veneto and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy.