ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book contributes the study of regionalism to draw firmer conclusions about the analytical link between institutions and government choices. It summarizes the theoretical debate on the study of regionalism from the perspective of the agent-structure relationship. The book discusses a number of deficiencies in traditional and recent theoretical approaches to regional integration and shows how certain intuitions of constructivism can help to better understand the regionalism phenomenon. It examines the hypothesis of convergence and shows how the writings on this concept can contribute to the study of the influence of regionalism on the behavior of the actors therein, mainly the governments of the member countries. The book provides a justification for the choice to study North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It presents the public security and deals with the policing function of the North American states.
