Result of the work conducted by the EDB Centre for Integration Studies: monographs on integration issues released in Russia and Great Britain

Almaty, 8 November 2012 — Hot off the presses: the monographs «Evraziyskaya kontinentalnaya integraciya» [Eurasian Continental Integration] (EDB, Saint Petersburg) and Eurasian Integration: Challenges of Transcontinental Regionalism (Palgrave Macmillan, London), coauthored by the Director of the Center for Integration Studies at the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), Evgeny Vinokurov, and Professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Member of the Centre’s Advisory Council, Alexander Libman.

The booksf ocus on the integration processes unfolding throughout the Eurasian continent. The distinguishing feature of the books is their continental approach to the subject -the economic and political ties in Eurasia, a huge region still very much in the process of emerging and as yet unexplored by in-depth analysis. The focus of the study addresses economic ties at the subnational, national and transnational level. Interestingly, the monographs encompass not just the «bright side» of integration (growing flows of goods, services, capital and labor), but also the «dark side» (drug, human and arms trafficking, cross-border environmental and epidemiological threats) of integration. The latterwill require coordinated international efforts in order to mount an effective response.

«Vinokurov and Libman have pulled together a tremendous range of information and insight about Eurasian economic integration. Their eminently readable book tackles an important and timely topic, which lies at the heart of global economic and political transformation in the 21st century,» notes Johannes Linn from the Brookings Institution (USA), prominent expert on economic integration.

In the well-established analysis presented by the authors, Eurasian continental integration is poised to emerge as a key development force driving integration in the area of trade in energy resources and other commodities, the transportation sector, capital and labor movements, and the fight against numerous cross-border threats.

The published books represent but one of the results of the work conducted by the EDB Centre for Integration Studies, founded in 2011. The Centre has been tasked with organizing research work, drafting recommendations for the governments of EDB member states, and preparing reports on the multiple issues of regional economic integration.

The electronic version of the book «Evraziyskaya kontinentalnaya integraciya» [Eurasian Continental Integration] and accompanying materials are available on the EDB website in the «Integration Research» section (https://eabr.org/e/research/centreCIS/monographsCIS/).

Background

The Eurasian Development Bank is an international financial organization established by Russia and Kazakhstan in January 2006 for the purposes of promoting the development of a market economy in member nations, ensuring their stable economic growth, and expanding mutual trade-and-economic ties. EDB charter capital exceeds USD 1.5 bln. The Bank’s member nations are the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Belarus, Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan.