Abstract:
The idea and agenda of regional integration has been lauded for centuries by its proponents owing to the great and numerous benefits that the initiative fetches for Countries and regions involved in the collaborations, yet it also continues to pose adverse effects on countries and their citizens, notably among them is the resulting inequalities. This study thus sought to assess the impact of regional integration on economic inequality drawing from the experience of the East African Community (EAC) by utilizing panel data for five EAC countries covering 16years spanning from 2007 to 2022, obtained from secondary sources and analysed using the Newey West standard errors variance estimator. Results from the estimate found that elements of regional integration like access to internet services, imports, exchange rates, external debt stocks and gross capital formation all accelerate the rate of inequality and recommends governments of EAC partner states to reshape regional policies to increase access to technology and internet, lower interest rates, properly manage public debts and consider redistributive policies other than taxes to cater for the less privileged and promote inclusive growth.
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