Globalizzazione e nuovo regionalismo : il caso della SADC.

Regional integration has gained considerable attention from academics and economists alike because of the perceived importance of it in promoting economic growth and development. However, the regional integration literature which has evolved with the creation of the European Economic Community in 1957 and the model on which integration has been based, has had very limited gains in promoting either economic growth or development in developing areas. In this study, it will be outlined the arguments of a trade-driven strategy, its limitations in the context of developing regions and highlighted the development integration approach of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) which calls for an alternative integration policy in promoting regional development : focused on the region as a unit of analysis and development instead of on a State and the coordination of production over free trade as a source for growth among states.