Abstract
The book offers a theoretical and comparative analysis of the role of national business actors as representatives of, and the articulated voice for, business' demands and interests, concerning the trilateral attempt at regional integration and co-operation called Group of Three (G-3) among Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. Since January 1995, the G-3 is not only a free trade area but also a customs union in progress. The author's approach draws from several theoretical streams and case studies, but in particular from neo-functionalism (with Haas as its most representative author), with the aim of explaining the link between (1) the predominant economic ideas and interests of both business and governments in each country, and (2) the origin, negotiations, approval and implementation of the treaty that established the G-3 in June 1994. Primary sources consist of business actors' discourses on RI and a few personal interviews, supported by a rich bibliographical research as secondary source. Specifically, the book concentrates on business associations of national scope and their relationship with the national governments, and on their overall support or rejection of the various regional integration (RI) alternatives, all embedded in the history of each country's economic development.