Bioenergy in Southern Africa: An opportunity for regional integration?

ABSTRACT

This introductory paper sets out the rationale for revisiting questions surrounding biofuel futures in Southern Africa and exploring the case for the establishment of a regional market. This contrasts with most research that has focused upon benefits and risks of production and consumption for individual countries. The analysis in this issue suggests that while benefits exist, the key challenges that have stifled production and consumption to date would need to be overcome. Unlocking trade requires relaxing requirements for South African manufacturers to source all their feedstock domestically. Key among factors to encourage production is resolving agricultural investment processes, particularly designing inclusive business models and clarifying land acquisition processes.     

关于沈阳经济区城际连接带建设的对策研究

加强区域或城市合作推动区域一体化,是当今世界经济发展的一个重要趋势及适应经济全球化、区域一体化的重要行动。大沈阳经济圈的建立是顺应时代潮流和自身实际的需要。为了实现沈阳经济区一体化发展,城际连接带建设是关键问题。因此,本文从沈阳经济区自身特点出发,深入系统地揭示了城际连接带建设存在问题,并针对问题提出了战略思路及解决办法。     

湄公河次区域整合发展的理论与实践

在经济全球化和区域一体化背景下,城市与城市之间、国家与国家之间的经济与社会联系不断增强,区域整合发展态势凸显,整合的深度与广度不断升级。本文将社会-空间统一体理论向前推进,延伸至国际区域整合问题的研究中,提出区域社会-空间整合的理论范式,赋予现存区域整合现象以新的理解,并以湄公河次区域为例进行了区域整合实例分析。     

长株潭文化融合的现实意义与对策思考

随着知识经济的发展,文化日益成为区域经济发展的重要动力和重要资源,长株潭一体化必须注重发挥文化的力量。文化融合将对长株潭区域发展产生多方面的积极作用,即提供强大的精神力量,塑造特色经济,打造人才高地,提升文化产业的整体实力。要推进长株潭文化融合,必须确立"共赢"和"协同"思维,优化区域文化产业布局,制订区域文化发展政策,建立区域文化共同市场。     

苏北区域旅游整合发展思路刍议

苏北旅游资源丰富,旅游业发展基础条件优越。本文从整合角度,提出开发主体、开发空间、开发产品三个层面的苏北旅游发展新思路。通过不断动态综合,使旅游资源和谐、完整和一体化,促进苏北区域旅游业的提档升级。     

珠三角区域经济一体化的六个关键问题

在全球化、区域经济一体化和集团化背景下,区域经济一体化成为珠三角区域可持续发展的重要内容和核心目标,引起了社会各界广泛关注。文章就珠三角区域经济一体化的本质、意义、核心目标、发展阶段、障碍及对策等6个关键问题进行重点论述。     

东盟一体化的现状与未来展望

东盟成立近40年来,无论是内部成员国之间,还是与各大国的政治经贸关系,都取得了令人瞩目的长足发展。但东盟国家在政治经济制度、经济发展水平、语言文化等方面的巨大差异,制约了东盟一体化程度的提高。虽然东盟提出建立“东盟共同体”,但要建立像欧盟那样的政治经济联盟还需要很长的时间,还要解决很多的问题。     

从珠三角城镇群发展实践看区域经济一体化

全球化背景下,区域经济一体化是城市和区域发展的重要趋势。回顾珠三角城镇群发展轨迹,检视其发展过程中存在主要矛盾和问题,最后提出推进珠三角经济一体化的发展战略或措施,为中国其它城市群发展提供借鉴。     

欧盟与东盟FTA谈判新动向及中国的对策

欧盟与东盟FTA谈判的意图是奉行开放的区域经贸合作政策,抵消贸易转移效应,增强在亚洲地区的影响力。中国应该密切跟踪研究欧盟介入亚洲区域经济一体化进程的新动向,必要时可以主动提出与欧盟进行FTA谈判,使区域一体化进程向有利于中国的方向发展,遏制欧盟的贸易保护主义倾向。     

The strategies adopted by Taiwan in response to the global financial crisis, and Taiwan's role in Asia-Pacific economic integration

The global financial crisis that began in 2008 exposed weaknesses in Taiwan's industrial structure and in the structure of its foreign trade; it also pointed out the importance of industrial upgrading and transformation if Taiwan is to remain economically competitive. The aim of this paper is to explore the strategies that Taiwan has adopted in response to the global economic crisis, and the medium- and long-term strategies that Taiwan will need to adopt in the face of the trend towards economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region.     

亚太区域经济一体化发展趋势与中国的策略选择

本文介绍亚太地区经济体参与区域经济一体化的现状,并系统总结了亚太经济体参与区域经济一体化的特征,分析了亚太经济一体化的发展趋势。作为亚太经济一体化的主要利益攸关方,中国需尽早制定对策以应对亚太区域经济一体化的发展。     

中国-东盟自由贸易区的新政治经济学分析

基于新政治经济学的分析框架,本文探讨了中国-东盟自由贸易区带给各国的收益,并分析了可能使其发展趋势发生逆转的因素,并提出了相应的政策建议。     

Regional integration and cohesion—lessons from Spain and Ireland in the EU

The academic literature on regional integration suggests that the impact of integration is unevenly spread among countries and regions. There is, therefore, a case for some redistributive mechanism, and this is what the EU Structural Funds tries to do. This article considers the role of the EU Structural Funds in Spain and Ireland, of which both countries were major beneficiaries, in facilitating the regional economic adjustment and reducing regional disparities. The article suggests that there were positive redistributive effects, as well as growth effects, but concludes that national, institutional and political configurations determine the distinctive outcome in the two cases. Finally, it considers the wider lessons for regional integration in ASEAN, a regional community of countries with diversity in the levels of regional development.     

The upswing of regional income inequality in Spain (1860-1930)

This paper studies the evolution of Spanish regional inequality from 1860 to 1930. The results point to the coexistence of two basic forces behind changes in regional economic inequality: industrial specialization and labor productivity differentials. The initial expansion of industrialization, in a context of growing economic integration of regions, promoted the spatial concentration of manufacturing in certain regions, which also benefited from the greatest advances in terms of labor productivity. Since 1900, the diffusion of manufacturing production to a greater number of locations has generated the emulation of production structures and a process of catching-up in labor productivity and wages.     

ASEAN regional cooperation on competition policy

ASEAN member states intend to establish the ASEAN Community by 2015. A key component of this goal is the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The AEC Blueprint was initiated to facilitate and monitor the implementation of the AEC during the period 2008–2015. Competition policy will play an important role in the achievement of the AEC. There has been significant progress in regional cooperation to achieve the competition policy targets listed in the AEC Blueprint. Even though only half of ASEAN member states (AMSs) have implemented competition laws, regional cooperation in this area has been fairly strong. The main emphasis has been on publishing regional guidelines and a handbook on competition policy in ASEAN as well as capacity building activities. There needs to be a renewed impetus to implement national competition laws in AMSs that have not done so. There also remain significant opportunities for enforcement cooperation and pooling of resources for capacity building in competition policy in the region.     

Bureaucratic integration and regional specialization in China

Fiscal decentralization introduced as part of China's economic reform since 1979 has unleashed strong incentives for China's local governments to pursue economic development, but the same incentives have also led to local protectionist policies inhibiting the process of regional specialization. This paper focuses on the constraints or freedom with which local governments can implement their protectionist policies. Using a panel data of 29 China's regions over the time period of 1985–1997, we find that China's political system of bureaucratic integration (specifically, concurrent appointment of local government officials in the central government) imposes constraints on the local governments from practicing protectionism. We also find that the effectiveness of local protectionist policies is limited by market competition, specifically, competition from foreign-invested firms operating in China and foreign imports. Our results on the role of local protectionism remain robust to controls for the regional variations in the size of the economy and the stage of economic development.     

区域全面经济伙伴关系协定研究的演化历程与展望

基于2012-2022年的CSSCI(中文社会科学引文索引)数据,利用CiteSpace和Bicomb软件对区域全面经济伙伴关系协定(RCEP)研究领域进行文献计量分析.结果表明:RCEP研究可分为缓慢推进、平稳过渡和加速发展3个阶段;RCEP领域核心作者和发文机构整体较为分散、局部有所集中,未建立广泛的合作关系网络;研究热点主要集中在国别和区域研究、价值链、贸易方式及影响3个方面.因此,未来研究方向应紧扣RCEP规则和政策设计等层面,积极探索RCEP框架下中国深化区域经济合作的路径安排.     

我国区域经济发展差距的金融成因分析

改革开放特别是上世纪90年代以来,我国经济在飞速发展的同时,区域经济发展的差距也在不断扩大,最明显的表征就是东、中、西三大地区经济发展差距的扩大。这种差距的扩大是地理区位、历史、政府政策、金融支持、产业结构等多方面因素综合作用的结果。本文试图从区域金融的角度对我国地区经济发展差距扩大化问题进行探讨,进而提出加快中西部地区金融发展的相关策略。     

生产力区域差别的经济均衡趋势分析

本文首先在定义区域生产力的基础上,说明了经济发展水平不同的两个区域间经济交流的内容。其次,文章探析了区域生产力之间差距的大小对不同地区经济发展机会的影响。最后,文章对促进区域生产力均衡发展的政策工具进行了探讨。     

On the feasibility of a regional exchange rate system for East Asia: Lessons of the 1992/1993 EMS crisis

This paper argues that a regional exchange rate system such as the EMS should not be ruled out when discussing monetary options for East Asia. The paper recalls that the 1992/1993 EMS crisis was the crisis of an exchange rate system and not just the collapse of unilateral pegs pursued by individual countries. It discusses distinct features that add to the credibility of regional exchange rate systems and reasons that a system that is built around well-defined rules and which is managed very carefully and cooperatively according to those rules could be both credible and sustainable even in the 21st century.