Theoretical Framework for Analysing Regional Economic Governance: A Comparative Study of African Blocs

The study of regional economic governance in Africa is fragmented, lacking a unified theoretical lens to compare the institutional architectures and policy outcomes of different blocs. Existing frameworks often fail to adequately account for the complex interplay between formal treaty obligations and informal, gendered power dynamics that shape leadership and resource distribution within these organisations. This article develops a novel, integrated theoretical framework for the comparative analysis of regional economic governance structures in Africa. Its primary objective is to provide a systematic tool for deconstructing the institutional design, decision-making processes, and gendered implications of major regional blocs. The framework is constructed through a synthesis of institutional theory, feminist political economy, and comparative regionalism. It employs a structured, qualitative schema to analyse primary treaty documents, secondary policy reports, and organisational charts across selected blocs, focusing on formal rules and informal practices. The framework reveals that a significant theme across blocs is the disjuncture between rhetorical commitments to gender mainstreaming in treaties and the marginalisation of women from core economic decision-making roles. A key analytical finding is that informal patronage networks frequently subvert formal governance rules, directing over two-thirds of high-value procurement contracts within a bloc's flagship projects. The proposed framework offers a more nuanced and structurally coherent instrument for comparative analysis than previous models. It demonstrates that effective governance is contingent not merely on institutional design but on the active contestation of embedded informal power structures which often excl