What Defines a Region? Membership Politics in Regional Organizations

• In Event: Regional Organizations: Causes and Consequences

Abstract

Regional boundaries are the most frequent criteria for international organizations that form sub-groups of states. Yet the political construction of regions occurs when geography becomes a discretionary criterion for membership in regional organizations. Under the façade of common location, some regional organizations represent discriminatory clubs in disguise. This paper examines the role of foreign policy to determine membership in regional organizations relative to the importance of democracy, economic ties, and geographic location. Statistical analysis of 195 regional organizations compares measures of geographic proximity with measures of economic and geopolitical similarity to assess the correlates of membership. The findings highlight that security ties
have as large an effect as distance. Both democracy and geography are selectively applied as conditions for membership rather than constituting fixed standards for entry. Case studies examine the experience of the EU and ASEAN.

Author

• Christina Davis, Harvard University