Characteristics of Sub-Saharan regionalism regarding the agency of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to describe the characteristics of Sub-Saharan integrations, primarily from the perspective of new regionalism. In addition to the traits of the macro-region, it seeks to talk not only about the system of the regional economic communities (RECs) within the African Union, but also about the organic, historically driven cooperation of micro-regions and border areas. It explores the challenges and opportunities of regionalism from the perspective of climate crisis and the need of good governance as well. The primary but not exclusive level of analysis in this study is governmental and interstate cooperation. Since the author’s research area is Southern Africa, as a case study the paper presents the organizational structure and functioning of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the most important features of Southern African regional integration.