South Asia’s Regional Underdevelopment: Explaining the Absence of Cohesive Regional Identity and Institutional Integration Introduction Despite shared cultural histories, geographic proximity, and post-colonial developmental trajectories, South Asia remains one of the least regionally integrated zones in the world. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), established in 1985, was envisioned as the institutional embodiment … Continue reading Why has South Asia lagged behind other regions in developing a cohesive regional identity and institutional integration?