A systemic perspective on regional integration after the end of the Cold War

This paper explains the systemic pressures on states in Europe and Southeast Asia to broaden their alliances after the end of the Cold War, and how expansion impacts on regional integration. Inter-state cooperation is still very much the basis of regional integration. In Europe, states will scuttle attempts at deepening integration if this threatens their security, as the recent political impasse in the European Union reveals. In Southeast Asia, by contrast, the threat to the security of states arises from their failure to deepen economic integration in order to survive an anarchic world financial system. This failure is due to entrenched internal constraints that prevents closer inter-state cooperation and the pooling of sovereignty. Thus, while attempts to move into the area of political union will be resisted by states eager to maintain their sovereignty, the inability to advance into the area of monetary union can only lead to demise of states.

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EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING POLICY IN A NEW ERA: THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL FORCES

Basic forces are influencing the American economy and significantly effecting employment and training policy. States need to take responsibility in solving the problems created by these trends. The implications of these trends-the technological revolution, internationalization of the American economy, and labor market and demographic changes-are examined. The first implication is that the United States cannot have effective economic policies unless monetary-fiscal policies are supplemented by selective labor market policies which can deal with specific labor market problems. Second, policies must be measured in terms of their effects on the competitiveness of American industry in the areas of wages, management systems, and technology. Finally, there is a need to recognize the importance of education in responding to the economy's problems and to combine employment and training with other human resource development activities.