The Institutional Identity of Regional Organizations, Or Mercosur's Identity Crisis

Abstract

In the last 15years, the link between identity and regional institutions has received considerable academic attention, especially from EU scholars. Mostly, their focus has been on the ways in which European institutions affect, constrain, or constitute (or otherwise) state's and individual actor's behavior and identities. By contrast, international relations has been strikingly silent on the question of the identity of regional institutions. However, studying an institution's identity can highlight important aspects of its "quality of life"; not least its ability to interact with other international actors and with its own constituent parts. This article argues that a clear identity is necessary for the organization to project itself internally, internationally, and temporally. The question of institutional identity-and the risks of failing to construct one-is explored by looking at the case of Mercosur, an association which, the article argues, suffers from identity crises in its three main identity dimension: political, economic and external. © 2012 International Studies Association.