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International Organisations in a World of Regional Trade Agreements: Lessons from Club Theory

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  • Michele Fratianni
  • John Pattison

Abstract

This essay deals with the challenge that international organizations face at the turn of the millennium. The basic insight from the theory of clubs and information theory is that coordination and cooperation require dominant providers. Cooperation becomes more difficult as players become more equal in economic size. Today's environment is less conducive to cooperation than the environment after World War II. By extension, club theory suggests that Regional Trade Agreements are not flukes. They have proliferated because cooperation is feasible in smaller groups with a few larger players. There is a significant risk, however, that regional blocs may replace the multilateral cooperative process. To reduce this risk we propose the creation of an inter‐bloc international organization dedicated to reduce blocs' barriers to trade and finance.

Suggested Citation

  • Michele Fratianni & John Pattison, 2001. "International Organisations in a World of Regional Trade Agreements: Lessons from Club Theory," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 333-358, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:worlde:v:24:y:2001:i:3:p:333-358
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-9701.00359
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    Cited by:

    1. Chang Hoon Oh & Michele Fratianni, 2010. "Do Additional Bilateral Investment Treaties Boost Foreign Direct Investments?," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 43, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    2. Masahiro Kawai & Peter A. Petri & Elif Sisli Ciamarra, 2010. "Asia in Global Governance: A Case for Decentralized Institutions," Chapters, in: Masahiro Kawai & Jong-Wha Lee & Peter A. Petri & Giovanni Capanelli (ed.), Asian Regionalism in the World Economy, chapter 13, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Hefeker, Carsten, 2003. "Handels- und Finanzarchitektur im Umbruch: Globale Integration und die institutionelle Arbeitsteilung von IWF, Weltbank und WTO," HWWA Discussion Papers 225, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWA).
    4. Masahiro Kawai & Peter A. Petri, 2014. "Asia'S Role In The Global Economic Architecture," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 32(1), pages 230-245, January.
    5. Michele Fratianni & Francesco Marchionne, 2011. "The Limits to Integration," Chapters, in: Miroslav N. Jovanović (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Integration, Volume I, chapter 9, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Michele Fratianni & Chang Hoon Oh, 2009. "Expanding RTAs, trade flows, and the multinational enterprise," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(7), pages 1206-1227, September.
    7. Eufrocinio M. Bernabe, Jr. & Dongkoo Chang, 2013. "SEACEN’s Optimal Membership Size," Staff Papers, South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) Research and Training Centre, number sp90.
    8. Anica Zeyen & Markus Beckmann & Stella Wolters, 2016. "Actor and Institutional Dynamics in the Development of Multi-stakeholder Initiatives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(2), pages 341-360, May.
    9. Crescenzo dell'Aquila & Marijke Kuiper, 2003. "Which Road to Liberalization? A first assessment of the EuroMed association agreements," ENARPRI Working Papers 002, ENARPRI (European Network of Agricultural and Rural Policy Research Institutes).
    10. Michele Fratianni, 2004. "Borders and the Constraints on Globalization," Working Papers 2004-05, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    11. Dell'Aquila, Crescenzo & Kuiper, Marijke H., 2003. "Which Road To Liberalisation? A First Assessment of the EuroMed Association Agreements," ENARPRI Working Papers 25129, European Network of Agricultural and Rural Policy Research Institutes (ENARPRI).
    12. Finley, Theresa, 2021. "Free riding in the monastery: Club goods, the cistercian order and agricultural investment in Ancien Regime France," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 318-336.
    13. Robert Falkner, 2015. "A minilateral solution for global climate change? On bargaining efficiency, club benefits and international legitimacy," GRI Working Papers 197, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    14. Michele Fratianni & Chang Hoon Oh, 2007. "On the Relationship Between RTA Expansion and Openness," Working Papers 2007-13, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    15. Clifton, Judith & Díaz-Fuentes, Daniel, 2011. "La Nueva Política Económica de la OCDE ante el cambio en la Economía Mundial [The New Political Economy of the OECD in a context of Shifting World Wealth]," MPRA Paper 33010, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Philip Andrews-Speed & Xunpeng Shi, 2016. "What Role Can the G20 Play in Global Energy Governance? Implications for China's Presidency," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 7(2), pages 198-206, May.
    17. Jonathan B. Slapin and Julia Gray, University of Pittsburgh, 2009. "Why Some Regional Trade Agreements Work: Private Rents, Exit Options, and Legalization," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp289, IIIS.
    18. Masson, Paul R. & Pattison, John C., 2009. "Financial Regulatory Reform: Using Models of Cooperation to Evaluate Current Prospects for International Agreement," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 119-136.
    19. Carsten Herrmann-Pillath, 2006. "Reciprocity and the hidden constitution of world trade," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 133-163, September.
    20. Schuler Douglas A., 2012. "A club theory approach to voluntary social programs: Multinational companies and the extractive industries transparency initiative," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 14(3), pages 1-24, October.

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