Regional integration has gained keen drive since the 1980s throughout the world. Political and economic considerations complement each other in any kind of process; yet classical economic integration theory would advocate that regional integration is an economic process occurring largely as a result of greater interaction between neighboring states, functioning almost like a kind of invisible hand. This theory is based on the historical example of the development of the European Union, yet it completely discounts the fact that the European Union was first and foremost a political project. Such also has been the case with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), the world’s oldest customs union, and with the Southern African Development Cooperation Conference (SADCC) and its successor, the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Using the new regionalisms approach, with focus on SADC as a representative regional economic community, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the extent to which politics rather than economic considerations, has determined the establishment and functioning of SADCC (1980-1992) and thereafter of SADC (from August 17, 1992) and to point out the impact, that these political-driven processes has had on the development of the southern African region integration. A qualitative content analysis is used for data collection while policy analysis is brought out using the Institutional Analysis and Development framework. The results of this study reveal divergence between policy formulation (political) and policy implementation (economic) when it comes to enhancing the developmental aspects in the unfolding regional integration process, yet both equally influential. Moreover, policy formulation at the collective-action level still lacks concrete strategies and plans for the harmonization and implementation of regional initiatives. Some of the strategies for deepening the regional integration process would include prioritizing regional commitments to external ones and improving policy formulation as well as establishing linkages between different regional policies and strategies.

Keywords: Regional integration; regionalism, political economic development; regional and Southern African Development Community.