Interregionalism without automatic integration
European Union influence and political mediation in Mercosur
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8249752 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andree Juvenal Jimenez Soto (0009-0003-1193-3172, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences), Wilber Jimenez Mendoza (0000-0002-1103-6872, Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurimac), Julio Ricardo Moscoso Cuaresma (0000-0001-5343-3713, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences, corresponding author), Miguel Nunez-del-Prado (0000-0001-7997-1739, Peruvian University of Applied Sciences), Hugo Alatrista-Salas (0000-0001-5252-4728, Vinci (France)) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Politics and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2374-5126 • E-ISSN: 2374-5118 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/23745118.2026.2632281 |
| OpenAlex | W7133882960 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
This study empirically analyses the interregional influence of the European Union (EU) on Mercosur's economic integration between 1995 and 2024, explicitly incorporating the conditioning role of Mercosur's internal political context. Moving beyond normative assumptions of integration as an automatic institutional outcome, the study conceptualises integration as an observable variable through the construction of a Mercosur Economic Integration Index (MEI) based on a structural gravity framework. Methodologically, it adopts a mixed longitudinal design combining: (i) a geographical influence model capturing EU hard, soft, and independent power; (ii) a Bayesian causal impact model to assess political transitions; and (iii) a structural gravity econometric model to evaluate intraregional integration. Results indicate that EU influence does not produce homogeneous effects. On average, stronger European influence is associated with lower intraregional integration, suggesting external anchoring dynamics. However, this effect is significantly moderated by favourable internal political configurations, under which European influence may align with integration objectives. The findings highlight the politically contingent nature of interregional influence and underscore the importance of political economy perspectives in regional integration analysis.
European integration · European union · Mediation · Negotiation · Politics · Border Security and International Relations · International Relations and Foreign Policy · International Relations in Latin America
Causal Inference for Statistics, Social, and Biomedical Sciences
Civilian Power or Soft Imperialism? The EU as a Global Actor and the Role of Interregionalism
Inferring causal impact using Bayesian structural time-series models
Data Structures for Statistical Computing in Python
Matplotlib
Interregional trade estimation as a case for economic integration
The European Union’s interregionalism in the Andean Community
The Philippines’ hedging strategy against China in the South China Sea dispute
The EU and the Diplomacy of Complex Interregionalism
Acordo União Europeia e Mercado Comum do Sul
European Union interregionalism in the Andean Community integration process
Leveraging interregionalism
Region, Regionness and Regionalism in Latin America
Studying Regions
Prospects for deepening Mercosur integration
The European Union and Latin America
Resorting to bilateralism
The European Partnership with Mercosur
Regional actorness and interregional relations
Beyond parliamentary ratification
Introduction
Power Preponderance and Domestic Politics
The European Union and Mercosur
Unpacking the impact of mega-regional agreements
Power and interdependence
From Europeanisation to Diffusion
Europeanization and domestic policy concertation
Normative Power Europe, Once Again
Different Paths of Regional I ntegration
Global Europa
Between Geopolitics and Political Economy
Spurred Emulation
Interregionalism's impact on regional integration in developing countries
Grand theories of integration and the challenges of comparative regionalism
Mercosur and the Eu
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |