A trading bloc is “a group of countries that join together in some form of agreement in order to increase trade between themselves and/or to gain economic benefits from cooperation on some level.”

Below is a list of some of the regional trading blocs that unite the world’s countries in interdependent relationships based on comparative advantage today. For each organization, click on the student’s name to be taken to an overview of the group, including:

• an annotated time line showing the steps involved in its establishment and evolution, including any significant achievements and/or setbacks.
• an evaluation of the impact that membership in the trading bloc has had on the economy of one member nation

Articles still to be written and published by Danny Witters and Manon Van Thorenburg

• Pacific Regional Trade Agreement (PARTA or PIF) - by Carls Siu
• European Economic Area (EEA) - by Lucas Topham
• Caribbean Community (CARICOM) - by Dennis Melzer
• Union of South American Nations (Unasur/Unasul) - by Marco Garafolo
• East African Community (EAC) - by Enno Zhang
• Southern African Customs Union (SACU) - by Kaj Neiman
• Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) - by James Hannam
  
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - by Daniel Yeung
  
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - by Wan Jin Park
  
• Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) - by Manon Van Thorenburg
  
• African Economic Community (AEC) - by Danny Witters

About the author: Jason Welker is a teacher at Zurich International School in Switzerland, where he teaches Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Economics. Jason was an international school student in Malaysia before studying economics at Seattle University then earning his Masters in Education. He calls Seattle and Northern Idaho home. In addition to maintaining an economics wiki and this blog for economics student and educators, Jason also gives presentations on using Web 2.0 tools in education at workshops and conferences around the world. His economics wiki won the 2007 "Best Educational Wiki" award from the "EduBlog Awards".

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