ABSTRACT
The surge and resurgence of regionalism has triggered the proliferation of concepts and approaches. The concept of regionalism is as diverse as its object of study. Regionalism, then, refers to processes and structures of region-building in terms of closer economic, political, security and socio-cultural linkages between states and societies that are geographically proximate. This volume adopts a rather narrow understanding of regionalism as processes and structures of state-led regionalism with a focus on the delegation of policies and political authority to regional institutions. The focus on what some would perceive as 'old regionalism' allows the volume to extend existing roads into hardly explored territory as well as to build some new roads in already charted land. Research on regionalism used to concentrate on the European Community/European Union as a long-standing pathfinder in regional integration. The 'alphabet soup' of post-Soviet regionalism shows great similarities with the 'Spaghetti Bowl' regionalism in Africa.
