Power Relations and Comparative Regionalism (Innovations in International Affairs)

Three trends have dominated the political economy of integration during the last two decades: globalization, economic nationalism, and regionalization. This book explores comparative regional integration, focusing on both intra­ regional integration and relations among regions in the context of power.

The most common focus of integration studies has been on the logic of cooperation, but there is another logic of integration: power. The relevance of power today is represented by the relations within the Eurozone, especially between creditors and debtors. By the same line of reasoning, integration in Asia cannot ignore the respective roles of China, Japan, and Korea, nor the unresolved disputes about Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the islands in the South China Sea. This edited volume addresses the role of power in regional integration in three contexts: (1) the role of hegemonic external actors (the US and China) in regional integration; (2) the role of core states within regions (Germany, China , Japan, and Brazil); and (3) the role of noncore states- smaller and middle­ range powers (Italy and Greece in Europe; South Korea and Malaysia in Asia; and Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, and Paraguay in Latin America).

This book will benefit students and scholars of international relations and comparative political economy, especially those with an interest in integration studies and comparative regionalism.

Min-hyung Kim is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Republic of Korea, and a former Jean Monnet Fellow (2009–2010) in the Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, Florence, Italy. His research interests include international relations theory, East Asian security, North Korea's foreign policy, South Korea's foreign policy, East Asian regionalism, and European integration.

James A. Caporaso is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington, USA, and Director of the Jean Monnet Project in the Jackson School of International Studies. He is a specialist in international political economy and international relations theory. His current research is on political institutions and the financial crisis in comparative perspective.