The Politics of Regional Integration in the Developing World: The Case of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is at a crossroad. The recent decision by CARICOM leaders to "pause" the Single Economy project brought to the forefront the longstanding frustration with deepening regional integration. Some analysts have argued that regional integration in the Caribbean is not advancing because of external factors such as global financial crises. Through a case study of CARICOM's efforts to create a Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), this dissertation argues that CARICOM has failed to deepen effectively its integration process due to obstacles at the national level. Using a general inductive approach, the dissertation traces the progress of CARICOM states in implementing regional directives while analyzing internal political conditions to explain observed patterns. The dissertation identifies national priorities among member governments, ideological conflicts, and domestic constitutional arrangements as key obstacles to CARICOM integration. This research finding supports the argument that whether states make commitments to deepen regional integration and the political effects of these commitments depend on domestic factors. The dissertation concludes that both for the future of Caribbean integration and the study of regional integration in the developing world, domestic factors that influence a country's ability to implement regional decisions should be considered. The national priorities among member governments, ideological conflicts and domestic constitutional arrangements are three of these factors.