IS EPA AN OBSCURE COERCION? A CRITICAL REFLECTION FROM THE LITERATURE AND AGENDA FOR RESEARCH

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Abstract

There is a preponderance of criticism in the literature about the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). This paper adopts a neutral stance to present some of these criticisms. The approach is a critical review that culminates in a suggested research agenda. A deduction from critical literature is critic’s censure of EU-ACP EPA apparent coercive posture, described as not meeting developmental expectations both in previous and current agreement. However, some literature avows that EU-ACP EPA has some benefits to EPA, but opines that institutional problems such as corruption in some ACP countries are a hindrance to the realisation of benefits from EPA. Accordingly, the paper suggests agenda for further research as follows: can it be conclusive that the ACP countries have not benefited from EU-ACP agreements thus far and how has corruption in the ACP countries hindered the realisation of intended benefits from EU-ACP agreements?

Keywords: Development, Economic Partnership Agreement, European Union, African Caribbean and Pacific Countries, Coercion, Corruption, EPA, ACP

How to cite this paper: Ngwakwe, C. C. (2015). Is EPA an obscure coercion? A critical reflection from the literature and agenda for research. Journal of Governance and Regulation, 4(4-6), 747-750. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgr_v4_i4_c6_p11