Title:
CHALLENGES OF ACHIEVING DEEPER INTEGRATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC): AGENDA SETTING AND DECISION MAKING

Authors:
Maximilian Mainza

Volume - 2 Issue - 10, Pages - 4796-4818

Abstract:
This paper addressed the policy agenda setting process in the SADC in order to provide insights on the obstacles to meeting deep SADC cooperation and integration targets. The study utilized Kingdon's multiple streams framework (MSF), while accounting for the role of policy participants using the four stages of 'issue careers'. The study finds that politicians at both regional and national level dominated the agenda setting process by being at the center of issue initiation, issue specification, issue expansion, and issue entrance, while technocrats, dominated issue initiation at national level. Additionally, the media fails to influence SADC regional trade policies, due to its lower coverage of regional integration issues. The study also finds that individual member states are at liberty to divert from regional targets in order to pursue national interests, given that defaulting countries to the regional goals are not punished. Further, the study recommends for the revision of the SADC legal and institutional framework, to enhance the supranational SADC institutions and to solve the problem of inconsistent political commitment.

Cite this Article:

[Mainza, Maximilian. "CHALLENGES OF ACHIEVING DEEPER INTEGRATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC): AGENDA SETTING AND DECISION MAKING." International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 2, no. 10, 2017, pp. 4796-4818. October.]