ABSTRACT
Globalization of the economy results in two distinct, though complementary, trends towards regionalism. At the supra-national scale, countries are aligning themselves into alliances primarily based on their geographic situation. Indeed, increases in global trade during the latter half of the twentieth century have led to concentrations of economic development in three regions: North America, Europe, and East Asia. The arrival of regionalism as a potentially powerful competitor in the global economy highlights the declining role of the traditional nation-state. The mutually reinforcing processes of the decline of the nation-state and rise of regionalism are characterized by a shift in political and socio-economic perspective from a national to regional scale. The rise of the global society and the decline of the nation-state has, in turn, impacted the form and function of government throughout the world.
