Institutions and mechanism of regional integration in the South Central Coast

Abstract

The regional integration is a relatively complex social phenomenon that requires a variety of theoretical frameworks/approaches. The paper proposes and analyzes the framework for assessing the role and level of regional integration in economic development in the South Central Coast. The results of the study show that the level of regional integration is not tight and of mere formality as the cost of regional integration is higher than the benefits and the institution of regional coordination has not been effective. These result in the fact that the role of regional integration in promoting economic spillovers and enhancing competitiveness . is not commensurate with expectations. Through the analysis, the paper proposes some guidelines to enhance the role and increase the level of regional connectivity in the South Central Coast in the future.