Growing up as the new kid on the block: The Pacific Alliance turns 10

Self Cite

Since the governments of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru inaugurated a new Latin American integration mechanism, the Pacific Alliance, in 2011, the bloc has recorded both encouraging and disappointing results, depending on the evolution of the Alliance's main five aspects-political, economic, institutional, cooperative, and societal linkages. Although economic integration did not advance at the expected pace, owing to the abolition of a Mexican visa for Peru and Colombia, between 2011 and 2019, there has been a significant increase in social exchanges of nationals of the four countries, which included activities such as tourism, education, business trips, and others of similar nature (the Pacific Alliance's fifth element). Yet, despite these developments, scholars did not attempt to examine the societal linkage within the bloc, referred to in this article as the "fifth element" of the Pacific Alliance. To narrow the gap, this article examines the path of the Alliance toward deep integration by identifying the effect of strengthening social interactions, using a transnationalist framework and paying particular attention to the changing patterns of individual trips over more than 10 years of the Alliance's existence.

Section: The Key Elements Of the Pamentioning

confidence: 99%

Transnationalism: The fifth element of the Pacific Alliance's deep integration process

Lallande

Rouvinski

2023

Self Cite

“…The agenda has been progressively extended to cover rules of deep integration that reflect the alliance's interests. Still, the model of regulation proposed by the group has not sought a redefinition of the rules of governance of international trade but rather a pragmatic election of rules that cover different topics and are placed in different agreements at a bilateral, regional, or multilateral level (Briceño‐Ruiz et al, 2021, p. 2; Oyarzún Serrano, 2017, p. 154).…”

Section: Deepening Of the Pa's Commercial Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

The deepening of the Pacific Alliance's commercial agenda: The role of policy networks in regulatory governance

Castro‐Silva

2023

Organization. | 91 dinámicas verticales de interacción asociadas a un patrón económico Norte-Sur entre México y los demás miembros del bloque han puesto límites al modelo de integración profunda diseñado por el grupo. Este artículo se basa en un estudio de casos múltiples que utiliza el rastreo de procesos para abordar un proceso que es observado desde el Sur Global, atendiendo sus particularidades y superando visiones estado-céntricas.

“…Even though Mexico is a relevant member of the Pacific Alliance, this study does not consider its role in influencing South American regionalism. Mexico holds a comfortable position within the Pacific Alliance, enjoying a trade surplus with Chile, Colombia, and Peru, and Mexican trade policy is not at odds with it (Morales‐Fajardo & Cadena‐Inostroza, 2019), but Mexican foreign policy under the government of Lpez Obrador has prioritized ties with its northern neighbors (Nolte, 2021), and its commitment to the Pacific Alliance integration model is not clear (Briceño‐Ruiz et al, 2021).…”

Section: Pragmatism Flexibility and Lean Structure: How The Pacific A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The role of the Pacific Alliance in regionalism—whether it has stagnated (Pastrana Buelvas & Castro Alegría, 2020; Nolte, 2021) or is “still moving forward after 10 years” (Briceño‐Ruiz et al, 2021, p. 193)—is of interest because it is the only regional integration bloc that is not under stress in Latin America, due to the “restriction of its goals to the expansion of trade and a lean institutional structure” (Nolte & Weiffen, 2020; pp. 8–9).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Pacific Alliance and its influence on South American regionalism

Gonçalves

2023

When the Pacific Alliance was created in 2011, its proposal to reestablish open regionalism led to a debate on the fragmentation of regional integration and the Atlantic-Pacific divide. A decade later, Latin American regionalism is under stress, but the Pacific Alliance is not. Moreover, regionalism in South America displays features that are observed in the Pacific Alliance. From a constructivist framework, this article analyzes how the ideas from the Pacific Alliance shaped the early development of Prosur, highlighting the role of Chile, Colombia, and Peru in influencing South American regionalism. This article aims to contribute to debates on the future of Latin American regionalism by stressing how the Pacific Alliance influences regionalism, dispelling the idea that it is a mere trade bloc, and showing how it consolidates the Bogotá-Lima-Santiago axis in South American regionalism. It sheds light on the relevance of this regional bloc in political terms and on the agency capacity (achievements and limits) of Colombia, Peru, and Chile in setting a regional agenda.