In 2001, the United Nations University launched UNU-CRIS, a research and training programme on comparative regional integration to study the role of regional integration in global governance. This is a timely product of the research undertaken at UNU-CRIS. The report represents a unique collaboration between all regional UN Economic Commissions. It focuses on one of the central issues in the debate on global governance.

A unique examination of why the quest for global free trade often forgets that trade liberalization is organized regionally rather than multilaterally.

There are now more than 250 regional integration initiatives and this number is steadily increasing. This trend raises a key question: What is the impact of regional integration, both for the countries involved and for those excluded from regional integration schemes?

Using a combined economic, political science and scientific approach, this book explores how regional integration can be measured and evaluated and delivers...