Abstract
The chapter offers a large-N analysis of factors determining the type of the regional organization. For this purpose, it utilizes a unique dataset of 62 regional organizations, covering a broad variety of organizations of various types of the world. The chapter uses two distinct approaches to comparing these organizations. On the one hand, it assigns a particular type to each of them ex ante, based on the extant scholarship on the particular organization. Then it uses both bivariate correlation coefficients and multivariate regression analysis to find out which factors determine the choice of a particular type of the regional organization. On the other hand, the chapter shows how the type of the regional organization can be inferred empirically from the organization’s quantifiable characteristics.
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Notes
- 1.
Vogly 2008.
- 2.
The Appendix tables also include two officially abolished ROs, which we will be examined in greater detail in Chapter 13, as well as Interstate Bank, for the reasons discussed in Chapter 12.
- 3.
The dataset is available at http://eabr.org/e/research/centreCIS/projectsandreportsCIS/?id_4=41398.
- 4.
Note that in many cases ROs of a given type almost automatically fulfill some functions of a different type. For example, ‘Alive and Kicking’ ROs typically also serve as communication platforms for their members. Many ‘Alive and Kicking’ ROs also provide some expressive utility to their members. For example, EU membership is important not only because of its economic benefits, but as a symbol of belonging to the community of democratic European countries. In these cases, we still assign the RO to a particular type, since these additional functions are derived from the RO being a successful ‘Alive and Kicking’ organization. However, if we are not certain which classification would best fit a particular RO, we make multiple assignments.
- 5.
For example, Alesina and Spolaore 1997.
- 6.
Since the EDB dataset occasionally uses the official WTO notification as the date of establishment of the ROs and is not always accurate in tracing the entire chain of ROs created by the same countries and replacing each other over time, we have recomputed this variable rather than used the respective variable from the database. The variable is defined as 2014 minus the year of establishment of the RO.
- 7.
Note that even after we exclude the EU and the AU, there are still significant outliers. Hence, we present two plots: one for all ROs except the EU and AU, and one excluding all outlier ROs.
- 8.
O’Rourke and Williamson 2002.
References
Alesina, A., & Spolaore, E. (1997) On the Number and Size of Nations. Quarterly Journal of Economics 112(4): 1027–1056.
O’Rourke, K.H., & Williamson, J.G. (2002) When Did Globalization Begin?. European Review of Economic History 6(1): 23–50.
Vogly, T.J., Fausett, E., Grant, K.A., & Rodgers, S. (2008) Identifying Formal Intergovernmental Organizations. Journal of Peace Research 45(6): 849–862.
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Vinokurov, E., Libman, A. (2017). Determinants of RO Type: Large-N Evidence. In: Re-Evaluating Regional Organizations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53055-0_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53055-0_7
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