Giovanni Agostinis

I am a political and economic analyst, expert on South American regionalism, Brazil and Andean countries' politics, economies, and international trade patterns.

I am Master of Science (Msc) in Latin American Studies at the University of Oxford, and Bachelor and Master of Philosophy in Diplomacy and International Relations at the University of Bologna

I have a two-year work experience with the European Union, first in Brussels at the European External Action Service (EEAS), and then at the EU External Delgation in Lima (Peru).   

I am fluent in English and Spanish, with a working knowledge of French. 

Research Interest

I am currently dealing with South American regionalism, analysing the causes and patterns of regional cooperation in contemporary South America, with a focus on the process of functional cooperation in the infrastructure, energy, and defence fields that started off with the Brasilia Summit in 2000, and which led to the creation of UNASUR.

I am interested in studying regional integration in developing regions, where economic interdependence and intra-regional trade flows are low: understanding regional cooperation in the absence of the classic preconditions for regional integration.   

I am particularly interested in the study of the interrelationship between economic/political interests, ideas, and institution-building. From a historical institutionalist perspective I am focusing on the feedback dynamic between persuasive economic development ideas and geopolitical interests, and on how these interests and ideas get embedded in regional institutions, triggering regional cooperation and bringing about interdependence in spite of intergovernmentalism.