The Civic Republican Deficit in Africa and the Failure of Post-colonial Trade Arrangements

Stemming from the issues raised in the previous chapter, institutions are vital for the success of trade liberalization in Africa; however, the emphasis in scholarship on regional trade law in Africa has tended to be on regional institutions. There tends to be little focus on the domestic trade laws of states that are parties to regional economic integration treaties. Thus, in the study of the interaction between states through trade treaties, there is the predisposition to ignore national institutions as essential for the mix of rules that will ensure the success of open markets across Africa. The significance of national institutions is that they help enable credible commitment to open markets and agreed international economic obligations. Among other roles, institutions prevent decision-makers from shuffling economic policies and socio-political relationships at will, thereby frustrating trade treaty goals.

This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement: The Development of a Rules-Based Trading Order on 6 Feb 2024, available online: http://www.routledge.com/9780367280079