Abstract Benjamin Cohen has provoked us into a global conversation aimed at unwrapping the practice and study of IPE. In this article, we build upon his powerful notion of geography as politics, and engage afresh with the role of regions as correctives to debates on developmental strategies and trajectories in the global political economy. We share Cohen's view that 'how we conceive of space has a real impact on how we think about rule-making' (1998: 10), and argue that regions take shape iteratively via social and political processes that differ both temporally and geographically. As such, the key question for IPE is not whether regionalism exists, but rather what kind of regional governance is taking shape, and how it fits into IPE's globalist soul-searching. With this in mind, we analyse various conceptions of regions over time, from spheres of influence to governance actors, marking important differences (in symbolic, practical and institutional terms) in relation to experiments of the past. In doing so, we seek to underline at least the value of giving greater attention to the place of regions and regionalism in IPE's global conversation.

Poverty reduction and access to better conditions of wellbeing, including recognition of rights, are persisting challenges in developing countries and their populations. In recent years, the terms of regionalism in South America have been redefined to embrace new objectives and practices beyond economic integration. Since the inception of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), health became a 'locus for integration', creating a new framework for formal integration in this policy area. The significance of regional health governance has, therefore, to be seen in the process of region-building but also as new practices projected externally through 'regional health diplomacy'. From this perspective, the region can be considered both as a 'space for policy practice' and as an 'actor'. This paper explores UNASUR's health diplomacy policies and politics within the region and vis-à-vis external actors in relation to access to medicine and rights to health. It is argued that new policies and the negotiation of regional health policies are redefining what region is and is for, and the synergies between regionalism and social development.

La lucha contra la pobreza y el acceso a mejores condiciones de vida, incluido el reconocimiento de derechos, son desafíos persistentes que afectan de manera desproporcionada a los países en desarrollo y sus poblaciones más vulnerables. Al mismo tiempo, la integración regional en América Latina hoy representa un conglomerado de proyectos que no solo aborda temas comerciales, sino también políticos y sociales, articulados alrededor de nuevos objetivos y prácticas, basados en solidaridad y autonomía. Esto se ha manifestado particularmente en el área de salud, donde -bajo la coordinación de UNASUR-, una innovadora estructura institucional lidera programas, recursos y políticas para mejorar el acceso a la salud en la región y, mediante una nueva "diplomacia regional", la posición frente a actores internacionales en materia de acceso a medicamentos y derecho a la salud. Este artículo explora UNASUR Salud en la región y frente a actores externos, y argumenta que la región debe ser considerada como "espacio para la práctica política" tanto como "actor internacional", redefiniendo a la vez qué es región y para qué sirve, así como las sinergias entre regionalismo y desarrollo social.