The Basic Variables Affect The African Regional Economic Integration And Empirical Analysis

As the advent of the 21st century, globalization and regional economic integration have become the inevitable trend facing the world. The global economic structure dominated by Europe, North America and Asia-pacific has already come into being, while Africa has been marginalized day by day. This least developed continent is left no leeway to grab any profit for further economic development in the vicissitudes of world economic environment. African nations have realized that to win more say and reap more profit in the international community; they must unite and fulfill the regional integration.At present, there are more than 10 regional economic integration blocs in Africa. Conspicuous disparities can be witnessed in their integration degrees. Based on the previous research done by other scholars pertaining to the regional economic integrations, this paper summarizes factors that have impacts on the regional economic integration degree as follows: mechanism, economic conditions, regional environment, identity and strength to play in globalization. This thesis takes integration degree as the dependent variable and the above mentioned 5 factors as the independent variables. Judging from the positivism aspects, as the thesis argues, is to prove and elaborate which independent variables are key ones in context of Africa regional economic integration.The most influential regional economic integration blocs in Africa are Economic Community of West African States, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and Southern African Development Community which are chosen as the researching objects of this thesis. Taking their integration degrees as the dependent variable, this paper will concentrate on the comparison of the 3 blocs'mechanism, economic conditions, regional environment, identity and strength to play in globalization.