Abstract
The aim of this article is to analyse the responses of Latin American and Caribbean regional organisations to the pandemic caused by COVID-19 through a comparative analysis between the policies adopted by Mercosur, the Andean Community, and CARICOM. We have mapped the discussions, initiatives, and policies adopted by these regional organisations in order to understand the main elements that determined the adoption of regional co-ordination in the strategies to face the pandemic’s effects. We argue that those organisations which had specific institutional channels dedicated to dealing with health issues and had already faced other health crises have had less difficulty in coordinating their member states’ actions and adopting regional policies. Moreover, it can be affirmed that the level of economic interdependence and political convergence between member state governments played a significant role. Thus, this article seeks to contribute to a broader understanding of the current state of health co-operation in Latin American and Caribbean regional organisations, as well as to add to the discussion about its potential in coordinating and promoting regional health policies.
Keywords
regionalism; Latin America and Caribbean; pandemic; Mercosur; Andean Community; CARICOM