Philippe De Lombaerde

The Problem of Comparison in Comparative Regionalism

There is virtually no systematic debate on the fundamentals of comparative research in the study of international regionalism. The field of research is very fragmented and there is a lack of interaction between EU studies and regionalism in the rest of the world. There is also a lack of communication between scholars from various theoretical standpoints and research traditions. Related to these two divides is the tension between idiographic and nomothetic methodologies. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the largely neglected debate on how to conduct and address three interrelated problems: a conceptual, a theoretical and a methodological one. Our claim is that the future of comparative regionalism should be one where old divides are bridged. This requires a combination of conceptual rigor, theoretical eclecticism, and sounder empirical research methods.

Review essay: Regional Integration, Poverty and Social Policy

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Review essay: Regional Integration, Poverty and Social Policy Luk Van Langenhove, Philippe De Lombaerde

The Small N Methodological Challenges of Analyzing Regional Integration

Abstract As the number of regional integration organizations increases, the attention to case selection in small‐N qualitative analysis becomes more necessary in order to avoid selection biases that could produce results with doubtful generalizations. This paper addresses the problem of selecting cases and offers solutions to potential pitfalls in research. First we examine various research designs in qualitative methods and discuss the problems of selecting observations on the dependent variable. We next discuss the operational definition of regions. In order to select from a population of observations, it is important to understand what is and what is not included. Finally, a few implications are presented for the EU studies community.

New Directions in Globalization Indices

Abstract This paper discusses the measurement of globalization with a view to advancing the construction of globalization indices. It critically analyzes the types of indices that can contribute to knowledge and policy on globalization. Three issues are particularly highlighted: (a) the focus of measurement (i.e. on activities or policies); (b) the dimensions of measurement (i.e. cultural, ecological, economic, political, and/or social); and (c) the units of measurement (i.e. local, national, regional, and/or global). This paper argues that a workable forward strategy should not seek to identify the single best composite globalization index, but rather should work in an interdisciplinary mode towards a set of complementary globalization indices. These quantitative analyses can then be productively blended with qualitative approaches in a fuller assessment of globalizations extent and impact.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in Comparative Regionalism: A Comment on Sbragia

In a recent article in JCMS, Alberta Sbragia argued that the field of comparative regionalism features a number of deficiencies, and that these deficiencies are such that the very existence of comparative regionalism as a field of study can be questioned. Although she rightly points to a number of conceptual and methodological problems that comparative regionalism is facing, this short article challenges various of the points she is raising and indicates why comparative regionalism is an important and promising area for research.

China moving up the value chain: What can be learned from the Asian NICs?

The excess supply of labor in China will be exhausted in the near future as the growth of the population slows down and the share of working-age people shrinks. Once the country crosses the “Lewis Turning Point”, the mobilization of resources can no longer drive growth. In order to compensate for the increasing labor cost and sustain its growth, Chinese firms will need to increase profitability by moving up the value chain. Although the overall strategic objective of upgrading is widely shared and the logic of the globally fragmented production system is now well understood, a strategic impetus is missing to make the transition happening in China. The article contributes some ideas to this debate. Since the challenges that China faces today are similar to the ones faced by South Korea and Malaysia 30 years ago, their experience can shed light to help China find a solution to upgrade its industry. As an impetus, China needs to shift its emphasis from “opening the market in exchange for technology” to “exchanging advanced technologies for other advanced technologies”. It is crucial to give priority to establishing a leading position in several technology-advance frontiers. This will require the Chinese government to take a proactive role in market orientation, resource allocation and the promotion of close collaboration between the public and private sector.

Introduction to the Special Collection

In this essay, the authors argue that although “South” and “North” are more and more becoming problematic categories in the social sciences, in general, and in migration studies, in particular, it still makes sense today to focus on South-South migrations. Not only because of its mere quantitative importance, but for a number of reasons. Firstly, new South-South migration patterns are observable and new data are becoming available. Secondly, South-South migrations still have a number of distinct features, including: the role of borders, the composition of migration flows, the migration-conflict nexus, regional migration governance, and the specific relationships with certain migration-related concepts and variables.

The labour market consequences of globalisation and regionalisation

Purpose - This paper aims to introduce the subject of the impact of globalization and regionalization on the labour markets. The papers of the special issue are placed within this subject. Design/methodology/approach - Although the subject is not treated exhaustively, the papers presented are new contributions dealing with labour market institutions, efficiency wages, employment effects of outward foreign direct investment, immigration patterns, and regional social and labour policies. These diverse issues are dealt with in their relation with increasing globalization in developed economies. Findings - The major conclusions of the papers in the special issue are put into the perspective of the state of the art of the research on the social impact of globalization, particularly the labour market consequences. Originality/value - A more comprehensive analysis of globalisation, which takes into account the complementarity of the different channels through which its effects on labour markets are transmitted, becomes more and more necessary. The papers of the special issue attempt to look into a number of these channels and to some extent into their complementarity.

The Crisis in the U.S. and the Future of East Asian Production Sharing

The East Asian economic zone is well known for its highly integrated manufacturing system that was initialized and is driven by the market mechanism. As participants in a common production sharing network, East Asian economies are highly interdependent. Externally, advanced economies in the West make up the main target markets for exports from East Asia. Moreover, they provide capital to feed the investments required by regional growth. This paper investigates the potential effects of the recent economic crisis on East Asian production sharing. It suggests that the high interdependency of the global economy has made it unlikely for East Asia to remain immune to the crisis. Indeed, the impacts of the crisis on the regional economy in the long run are likely to be more serious than those in the short term. The crisis could be a factor in accelerating the process of East Asian regional integration, especially in terms of financial integration. Fundamentally, the weakness of the East Asian economy comes from its rather passive position in the global industry value chains. In order to improve its core competitiveness in the global market, East Asia needs to increase the technical and knowledge based contents of production sharing. Meanwhile, East Asian countries need to develop a mature social security system to buffer temporary unemployment. By boosting the intra-regional market and strengthening inter-regional cooperation with other emerging economies, East Asia could gradually turn the current production sharing network into a multi-oriented one, allowing the regional economy to be relatively less dependent on the West, and therefore less vulnerable to a crisis originating in the West. Last but not least, it is in the region’s best interests to support the multilateral trade negotiation system in order to secure free trade and capital movement globally.

ASEAN–EU FTA Negotiations: Waiting for Godot?

In an age of increased necessity for competitiveness of nations and at a time when the world economy is facing recession, this book explores the possible trajectory of ASEAN – arguably one of the most dynamic areas in the world – as a regional economic and political bloc. The expert contributors address the industrial competitiveness of ASEAN and analyse the role of MNEs against the background of the challenges of integration. They illustrate that regional integration will only be a success if ASEAN’s linkages are broadened with global partners through negotiations of Free Trade Agreements. The book concludes that although much still remains to be done, and many promises are still to be unveiled, ASEAN’s ‘coming of age’ is an historic milestone.