Looking like a regional organization? The European model of regional integration and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU)

Abstract

Of all African regional organizations, the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) is the one that has most explicitly followed the model of the European Union (EU), emulating key EU institutions and practices. WAEMU’s mimicry of the EU is puzzling, considering the economic, political and geographical differences between the European and the West African regional contexts. This article argues that, in order to understand WAEMU’s trajectory, it is necessary to look at two interrelated factors: on the one hand, the WAEMU's history of colonial legacies and post-colonial dependence; on the other, its drive to mimic similar institutions that are seen as embodying the standards of modernity and legitimacy. The WAEMU’s isomorphism has been an outcome of external pressures, but also a response to uncertainty and a result of professionalization. Institutional isomorphism has had a mixed impact on the effectiveness of the organization, helping it to sustain its legitimacy but also stifling endogenous development.

Notes on Contributor

Giulia Piccolino is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Loughborough University. Her current research focuses on non-liberal forms of post-conflict reconstruction and on the redeployment of state authority in former rebel-controlled areas. Dr Piccolino has published widely in peer reviewed journals, including African Affairs, Development and Change, Third World Quarterly and Democratization. Email: [email protected]

Notes

1 The acronym is itself an interesting case of post-colonial relabelling. It stood for Colonies françaises d'Afrique ('French colonies of Africa') during colonial time. In 1958, when Charles De Gaulle pushed for the shortlived Franco-African community, the name was turned into Communauté française d'Afrique ('French Community of Africa'). Since the former French colonies have become independent, CFA is taken to mean Communauté Financière Africaine (African Financial Community).

2 Art. 26 of the consolidated WAEMU treaty (2003). The same phrase is found in Art. 17 of the Treaty of the European Union (TEU).

3 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission A, 16 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

4 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission B, 14 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

5 Interestingly, Börzel and Risse mention coercion as a potential theoretical mechanism but argue that it has not played a role in the diffusion of EU-inspired regional institutions.

6 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission C, 16 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

7 Interview, Official of EU delegation to Burkina Faso and WAEMU, 11 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

8 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission C, 16 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

9 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission D, 11 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

10 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission C, 11 October 2013, Ouagadougou; Interview, official of WAEMU Commission E, 11 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

11 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission A, 16 October 2013, Ouagadougou; Interview, official of WAEMU Commission F, 10 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

12 Interview, Official of EU member state embassy, 18 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

13 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission D, 11 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

14 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission A, 16 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

15 Interview, Official of EU member state embassy, 18 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

16 Interview, Official of EU member state embassy, 18 October 2013, Ouagadougou; Interview, African Development Bank official, 17 October 2013, Ouagadougou.

17 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission C, 16 October 2013; Interview, official of the ECOWAS Commission, 29 October 2013, Abuja.

18 Interview, official of WAEMU Commission A, 16 October 2013, Ouagadougou; Interview, official of ECOWAS Commission, 29 October 2013, Abuja.

19 This the average of inflation rates in the three member states with the lowest inflation plus 1.5%.

Additional information

Funding

This article relies on interviews conducted during a field trip funded by Compagnia di San Paolo as part of the project ‘The EU, Regional Conflicts and the Promotion of Regional Cooperation: A Successful Strategy for a Global Challenge?’ (Regioconf).