Institutional Aspects of the Maputo Development Corridor

Maputo Development Corridor (MDC), what actors and stakeholders are involved in the policy- and decision-making processes, and draws some lessons for future development corridors and spatial development initiatives (SDIs) in the broader Southern African region

Civil society and international governance: the role of non-state actors in the EU, Africa, Asia and Middle East

Structures and processes occurring within and between states are no longer the only – or even the most important - determinants of those political, economic and social developments and dynamics that shape the modern world. Many issues, including the environment, health, crime, drugs, migration and terrorism, can no longer be contained within national boundaries. As a result, it is not always possible to identify the loci for authority and legitimacy, and the role of governments has been called into question. \ud \ud Civil Society anf International Governance critically analyses the increasing impact of nongovernmental organisations and civil society on global and regional governance. Written from the standpoint of advocates of civil society and addressing the role of civil society in relation to the UN, the IMF, the G8 and the WTO, this volume assess the role of various non-state actors from three perspectives: theoretical aspects, civil society interaction with the European Union and civil society and regional governance outside Europe, specifically Africa, East Asia and the Middle East. It demonstrates that civil society’s role has been more complex than one defined in terms, essentially, of resistance and includes actual participation in governance as well as multi-facetted contributions to legitimising and democratising global and regional governance

The Problem of comparison in comparative regionalism. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series Vol. 9, No. 7, April 2009

There is virtually no systematic debate regarding the fundamentals of comparative research in the field of international regionalism. The research field is very fragmented and the lack of interaction between EU studies and regionalism in the rest of the world is stark. There is also a lack of communication between scholars from various theoretical stand-points and research traditions. Related to these two divides is the tension between idiographic and nomothetic analysis. The purpose of this article is to contribute to this largely neglected debate on how to conduct and address three interrelated problems: a conceptual, a theoretical and a methodological one. Our claim is that the future of comparative regionalism should be one where jointly old divides are closed and new frontiers are crossed. This requires a combination of more conceptual rigor, theoretical eclecticism, and sounder empirical research methods