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Regional powers and leadership in regional institutions: Nigeria in ECOWAS and South Africa in SADC
[working paper]
Abstract Regional powers are not always benevolent leaders when it comes to the building of regional institutions. While powerful states - particularly the "new" rising powers - may have a vested interest in regionalism as a means of projecting influence, regional powers may behave as coercive or benevolent ... view more
Regional powers are not always benevolent leaders when it comes to the building of regional institutions. While powerful states - particularly the "new" rising powers - may have a vested interest in regionalism as a means of projecting influence, regional powers may behave as coercive or benevolent leaders, or alternatively display an absence of leadership altogether. The drivers of varying regional power behavior can be attributed to their competing concerns regarding (economic) power, functional efficiency, international legitimacy, and neopatrimonial networks. This paper explores the varying behavior of Nigeria and South Africa in relation to the institutionalization of free trade areas and regional courts within their respective regions. Nigeria has displayed little leadership in ECOWAS trade integration due to domestic opposition; however, a newly-democratic Nigeria's search for international legitimacy drove the establishment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Likewise, South Africa's search for legitimacy drove its support for the SADC Tribunal, but the competing demands of different audiences led it to abandon this support. South Africa has also displayed leadership in relation to the SADC Free Trade Area; however, its neighbors perceive it as a self-interested, almost coercive actor. The findings suggest that the motivations for regional powers' behavior vary across time and policy sectors, and that inconsistent behavior is driven by a change in the priority granted to different drivers.... view less
Keywords
Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; stability; regionalism; power; economic cooperation; free trade area; institutionalization; SADC; economic integration; economic power; legitimacy
Classification
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Free Keywords
ECOWAS; Hegemonic Stability Theory; Regional Powers
Document language
English
Publication Year
2016
City
Berlin
Page/Pages
30 p.
Series
KFG Working Paper Series, 76
ISSN
1868-7601
Status
Primary Publication; peer reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications