Latin American and Caribbean Regional Organizations Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this article is to analyse the responses of Latin American and Caribbean regional organisations to the pandemic caused by COVID-19 through a comparative analysis between the policies adopted by Mercosur, the Andean Community, and CARICOM. We have mapped the discussions, initiatives, and p...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Mariano, Karina [UNESP], Bressan, Regiane, Ferreira, Guilherme
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2022
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repository:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/244832
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-8529.20224402e20220049
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/244832
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:regionalism
Latin America and Caribbean
pandemic
Mercosur
Andean Community
CARICOM
Regionalismo
América Latina e Caribe
pandemia
Mercosul
Comunidade Andina
Description
Summary:The aim of this article is to analyse the responses of Latin American and Caribbean regional organisations to the pandemic caused by COVID-19 through a comparative analysis between the policies adopted by Mercosur, the Andean Community, and CARICOM. We have mapped the discussions, initiatives, and policies adopted by these regional organisations in order to understand the main elements that determined the adoption of regional co-ordination in the strategies to face the pandemic’s effects. We argue that those organisations which had specific institutional channels dedicated to dealing with health issues and had already faced other health crises have had less difficulty in coordinating their member states’ actions and adopting regional policies. Moreover, it can be affirmed that the level of economic interdependence and political convergence between member state governments played a significant role. Thus, this article seeks to contribute to a broader understanding of the current state of health co-operation in Latin American and Caribbean regional organisations, as well as to add to the discussion about its potential in coordinating and promoting regional health policies.