CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC COOPERATION IN THE CONTEXT OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

Abstract

The article examines the conceptual foundations of the development of foreign economic cooperation in the context of regional economic integration. The main theoretical approaches to interpreting regional economic integration are considered, formed within economic, political, and institutional paradigms. The concepts of B. Balassa, J. Viner, and E. B. Haas are analyzed, along with the doctrines of neofunctionalism, intergovernmentalism, customs union theory, and the new economic geography. The evolution of scientific approaches to understanding integration processes is outlined, ranging from trade liberalization to a multidimensional institutional and economic phenomenon.The essence of international trade and classical theories of international exchange, which formed the conceptual basis of modern integration processes, is analyzed. The interrelation between international trade, specialization, and the deepening of economic interdependence among states is highlighted.An original interpretation of foreign economic cooperation is proposed as a process and result of purposeful, institutionally regulated, and long-term interaction between states, enterprises, and organizations of different countries aimed at achieving mutual economic benefits through policy coordination, resource exchange, and joint project implementation. The key features of foreign economic cooperation are defined, and its role as an applied mechanism of integration processes is substantiated.An approach is advanced according to which foreign economic cooperation is not viewed as a set of isolated areas of international activity, but as an integrated system of economic relations through which regional integration models acquire practical content.The essence of the integration potential of a state is defined as a set of economic, institutional, and structural characteristics of a national economy that determine its ability to effectively participate in integration processes. It is substantiated that integration potential is a dynamic system of interrelated elements, the effectiveness of which depends on the level of their functional complementarity.