TRAINING MATERIALS FOR
AGRICULTURAL PLANNING 45

Regional Integration and Food Security in Developing Countries

by
Alan Matthews

Prepared for the
Agricultural Policy Support Service
Policy Assistance Division
 
Table of Contents
   
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Rome, 2003

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

ISBN 92-5-104963-9

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© FAO 2003

Table of Contents

FOREWORD

ACRONYMS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Welfare consequences of regional integration
Implications of RTA design for developing countries
Implications of WTO rules for developing countries
Regionalism and food security in developing countries

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

The resurgence of regionalism
Growing complexity of RTAs
Characteristics of integration schemes
Political commitment and regional integration
Donor attitudes to regionalism
Aims and structure of the paper

CHAPTER 2. ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION

The traditional approach to regional trade arrangements
Modern contributions
Developmental regionalism
The new regionalism
Regionalism and services trade
Regulatory co-ordination: towards deeper integration
Implications for convergence
Implications for developing countries

Appendix to Chapter 2

Numerical example of trade creation and diversion

CHAPTER 3. INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION

The issue of sovereignty
The scope of regionalism
Sustainability of regional integration arrangements
Implications of institutional design for developing countries

CHAPTER 4. LEGAL ASPECTS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION

What the WTO rules say about RTAs
Controversies in the interpretation of WTO rules
WTO rules on regionalism and agricultural trade liberalization
Implications of WTO rules for developing countries

CHAPTER 5. REGIONALISM AND FOOD SECURITY

Food security and poverty reduction
Trade integration and food security
Regional cooperation and food security
Agriculture in regional integration schemes

Implications of a common agricultural market
The role of borders
The common external tariff
Co-ordination of domestic subsidies
Financial mechanisms
Proofing regional integration schemes for their food security impact

Regional cooperation

Functional cooperation
Policy harmonization
Networking and benchmarking

Implications for developing countries

CHAPTER 6. REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN AFRICA

African regionalism in perspective
Reasons for the past lack of success of African regional groupings
The debate on the “new regionalism” in Africa
The future of regional integration in Africa

CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSIONS

Welfare consequences of regional integration
Implications of institutional design for developing countries
Implications of WTO rules for developing countries
Regionalism and food security in developing countries

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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