CIAO DATE: 04/06

Reforma estructural e integración regional en las Américas

Abstract

The structural reform and regional integration programs contribute to the economic development of the countries of the Western Hemisphere. In the last decade, several efforts of regional integration have taken place in the region. However, their success or failure is related, to a great extent, to the degree of structural reform implemented, due to the fact that the latter provides a common ground to launch the regional integration process. Thus, the central question of this research is: what is the impact of the structural reform process in the implementation of regional integration in the Americas?

In order to answer this question, the concepts of structural reform and regional integration are defined and discussed. Also, the elements which favor regional integration are explained, arguing that many of them derive directly from the structural reform process. With the intention of empirically support the latter, the cases of Argentina (1985-2000), Brazil (1983-2000), Chile (1973-2000), and Mexico (1982-2000) are analyzed, explaining in each of them how the structural reform impacts their efforts to integrate regionally. Based on the case studies, the central findings of the research are presented, concluding that, in order for the countries of the Americas to integrate, they need to share a common ground of structural reform on top of which they can advance in the construction of deeper and more functional regional integration agreements.

Full Text (PDF, 43 pages, 427 K)