Autonomy of the Central American Integration System A comparative study between the autonomy levels of the organizations of the Central American Integration System Carmen Elena Padilla Soto Global Public Administration Major Graduate School of Public ...
Autonomy of the Central American Integration System A comparative study between the autonomy levels of the organizations of the Central American Integration System Carmen Elena Padilla Soto Global Public Administration Major Graduate School of Public Administration Seoul National University This study tries to answer the question of what constrains the level of autonomy of an International Organization. Rational choice theory states that when states join or found an international organization, they shape them according to their preferred goals, and in base with their interest, assuming that states are rational agents trying to best achieve their aim and reducing the costs associated with it (Snidal, 2016). As part of the Inter American and Pan American tradition, Latin America has multiple regional organizations seeking to strengthen regional collaboration and cooperation and supporting countries in the development of the continent. In the case of Central America, in 1991 the Central American Integration Systems encompasses over 50 regional organizations, working together under the mandate of the Presidents Meeting of Central America, but maintaining a degree of independence and autonomy. Despite all institutions being part of the same system, each of them has their own institutional design, allowing to some more authority than others. Therefore, this study uses the Central American Integration System as a case study to inquire why states allow more autonomy of will to certain institutions and not all. To answer the research question, the study follows previous literature regarding states delegation, autonomy, and IO authority, proposing that the autonomy is conditioned to the type of regime (democracy level) of its member states, to the extent of states preferentiality, measured by the UN Voting Data base, and the pooling of the state’s decisions and representations within the IOs.