the-agadir-agreement-the-capability-traps-of-isomorphic-mimicry (3).pdf (204.94 kB)
The Agadir agreement: The capability traps of isomorphic mimicry
journal contribution
posted on 2021-04-13, 13:20 authored by Christos KourtelisAbstract
In 2004, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan signed the Agadir Agreement (AA), a free trade agreement with intention of encouraging closer cooperation in trade. The AA came into force in 2007 and relies on the EU's rules of origin. Contrary to existing explanations, which suggest that the little impact of the AA on intraregional trade is a result of the local political elites in the agreement and of weak state institutions, this article amends the concept of isomorphic mimicry to shed some light on the ineffectiveness of the AA. It claims that instead of acting as a vehicle for regional integration, the AA generated two capability traps: premature load bearing and the reproduction of the structural weaknesses of Arab Mediterranean economies. As a result, the AA does not act as an instrument of intraregional cooperation and inclusive growth.
History
School
- Social Sciences and Humanities
Department
- Politics and International Studies
Published in
World Trade ReviewVolume
20Issue
3Pages
306 - 320Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)Version
- VoR (Version of Record)
Rights holder
© The authorsPublisher statement
This is an Open Access Article. It is published by CUP under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Acceptance date
2020-10-11Publication date
2021-01-14Copyright date
2021ISSN
1474-7456eISSN
1475-3138Publisher version
Language
- en