Economic Integration

Economic integration refers to the collaboration of two or more countries to limit or eliminate trade restrictions and encourage political and economic cooperation. It allows global markets to function more steadily with less government intervention, giving countries a chance to make the greatest use of their resources.

It usually takes place between neighboring countries, hence sometimes called regional integration. The interconnected global commerce boosts industrial production and generates employment. In addition, more aligned fiscal policy and monetary policy, lower manufacturing and selling costs, and improved flow of capital, labor, products, and services benefit the integration.

• Economic integration meaning describes the collaboration of two or more economies to lower or remove trade barriers and create a shared market and business opportunities for one another.
• It encourages coordination of fiscal and monetary policies, leading to lower manufacturing and selling costs, improved movement of capital, labor, products, increased industrial output, and more employment.
• Economic indicators, such as interconnected global trade, cross-border investment, labor mobility, trade union membership, and coordinated economic policies, can help measure it.
• The fundamental economic integration levels include economic, monetary, and customs unions, preferential and free trade zones, and shared markets.

Economic integration strives to harmonize economic policies among member nations to promote mutual trade and economic and political interests. It, along with little government interference, creates more business prospects worldwide. As a result, it is a crucial component of regional and global economic developments. International commerce allows countries to make the best use of their resources while also granting their trading partners access to new markets.

The member countries agree on fiscal rates, monetary policies, and export and import regulations to achieve a stated economic plan. Economic integration maximizes the benefits for all participating economies by setting the terms of involvement and use. Although it emphasizes trading relations, integration can take many other forms.

Since regional economic integration is a part of economic development, economic indicators can help measure it, such as:

• Trade of products and services
• Cross-border capital movements
• Labor mobility
• Trade union membership
• Role of trade unions
• Establishment of supranational
• Unified economic policies

Let us look at different regional economic integration types, including:

#1 - Free Trade Area

It entails the partial or complete elimination of trade tariffs on goods and services between member countries. Increased cross-border trade, access to foreign markets, the formation of interconnected manufacturing chains, and labor migration are among its goals. However, each country retains control over its trade policy, making this form the least restrictive.

Example - European Free Trade Association and North American Free Trade Agreement

#2 - Preferred Trade Area

It assures a better and preferred offering to member countries by cutting tariffs on imports for one another.

Example - Commonwealth System of Preferences

#3 - Monetary Union

It concerns agreeing on fixed relative exchange rates and introducing a common currency to participate in foreign exchange and settle international transactions.

#4 - Economic Union

It involves the coordination of monetary, fiscal, and taxation policies and government expenditure to promote the free flow of commodities, services, and production inputs. 

Example - Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg (BENELUX)

#5 - Customs Union

It establishes common external trade tariffs on imports from non-member nations, making external production factors easier to track and tax within the region. Other features of this shared trade policy include free trade of goods and services and adoption of common customs and commercial laws between member countries.

Example - European Economic Community

#6 - Common Market

It is similar to free trade zones and customs unions. It facilitates the free movement of production factors between member countries and liberalizes cross-border labor mobility and investment. Its features include the reduction of tariff obstacles to internal commerce and the coordination of economic policy.

#7 - Complete Economic Integration

It combines coordination of fiscal policies with comprehensive monetary unification.

Example - European Union

Let us look at the following economic integration examples to understand the concept better -

Example #1

Russia and Belarus decided to establish a unified energy market for oil, gas, and electricity to address the unwarranted western sanctions on both economies. In addition, the leaders of the two countries intend to strengthen global economic integration by reducing business barriers and assisting one another.

Example #2

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries strive to achieve green growth, efficiency, and diversification. The collaboration will enable these least economically integrated countries to generate employment, attract more investment for the water and energy sector, and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Let us look at the economic integration advantages and disadvantages –

Advantages

• Helps developing nations take advantage of economies of scale by integrating with developed nations.
• Expands production capacity and creates new opportunities.
• Supports international specialization.
• Leads to the development of new products with quality output.
• Free flow of labor, capital, and goods.
• Increases bargaining power, efficiency, and productivity levels of small countries.
• Creates political harmony between member countries.

Disadvantages

• Trade diversions may deflect small countries' economies and land and contribute to member countries.
• Developing countries become dependent on more developed nations, thus becoming depressed regions.
• Member nations must follow trade regulations and monetary and fiscal policies set by non-member nations.
• Increased competition may harm high-cost producers.
• Can lead to a political disturbance and rivalry between two nations.

This article has been a guide to what is Economic Integration and its definition. Here we explain how economic integration works, its levels, examples & its advantages/ disadvantages. You may learn more about financing from the following articles –

• Economic Concepts
• Neoclassical Economics Theory
• Monopolistic