區域合作不僅已影響全球經濟發展，並對國際關係的發展產生深遠的影響。區域合作亦象徵了民族國家的經濟政策已朝向以市場為導向且自由化的策略。自8０年代起，新區域主義的出現基本上是經濟全球化對國內政治影響所造成的結果。此外，跨國私人經濟行為者流動性的增加，也改變了國內利益團體的利益關係。全球化刺激了國內的經濟改革，民族國家更希望透過區域性的合作來增加達其「經濟上的效率」與「政治上的接受度」。本文以EU與NAFTA為例，試圖發展出一套不同於傳統國際關係整合理論的分析模式，系統性地比較全球化所造成的影響，進而解釋民族國家為何優先選擇區域主義的原因。

Regional cooperations have powerfully shape international relations and economic development; they also symbolize a shift in economic policy toward market-oriented and liberalizing strategy. This new regionalism is essentially a result of the impact of globalization on domestic politics. The increasing transnational mobility of private economic actors alters the costs and interests of domestic groups. Globalization stimulates economic reforms whose economic efficiency and political acceptability are increased through regional cooperation. This study develops a distinct interpretative model for the impact of globalization on states; and it compares systematically the influences of globalization and the preference for cooperation cross-regionally in Europe and the Americas.