Theorizing ASEAN Integration (original) (raw)
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The ASEAN Way: Regional Integration Processes and Limits to Integration in Southeast Asia
2021
This paper retraces the organizational origins of ASEAN and examines how regional integration processes have given birth to ASEAN’s contemporary organizational design. To assess ASEAN’s origins, the paper firstly examines the legacy of European colonialism, the Japanese campaigns in Southeast Asia during WWII, regional decolonization processes following the end of WWII and the outbreak of the Cold War. The paper posits that Southeast Asia’s historical experiences of outside interference played a key role in shaping the ASEAN Way and its politico-normative emphasis on non-interference. The paper subsequently examines how the ASEAN Way has shaped regional integration processes, specifically in the case of economic integration. The analysis finds that ASEAN’s organizational expansion in the 1990s was accompanied by a growing internal heterogeneity, resulting in internal tensions that the ASEAN Way prevents from comprehensively addressing. In this light, the ASEAN Way continues to serve its original functions but constrains further regional integration in the process.
The Review of International Political Economy, 2002
This article examines the development of regional economic integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region by highlighting preferences and activities of foreign multinational corporations (MNCs). The main hypothesis of this study is that as foreign MNCs operating in small local markets seek larger markets in order to achieve an efficient production level, they raise their preferences for regional economic arrangements, and that these preferences function as critical factors promoting regional economic integration. The case of the ASEAN Industrial Cooperation (AICO) arrangement revealed the complex relationship between the states’ interests and MNCs’ preferences. In 1996, Japanese auto MNCs, which hoped to increase production volume of plants located in the small market, successfully encouraged the ASEAN states to introduce the AICO arrangement that granted tariff reductions and local content accreditation. However, the arrangement did not work effectively after its introduction because of the states’ adherence to maintaining the national interests, seeking to increase the benefits for their local economies and rms. The ASEAN members relaxed regulations concerning AICO applications after the Asian economic crisis. This policy change stemmed from auto MNCs’ persistent pressure for the smooth implementation of the scheme, mixed with the states’ renewed recognition of the AICO as a vehicle to promote regional economic cooperation and further inward investment.
2018
Regionalism has been major issue in global political economy in the recent decades. This essay emphasizes on ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) as one example of a regional association which is moving toward economic integration, especially after the WTO had been set up. It will try to find out the motivation of ASEAN for wanting an economic integration. The question here will be whether the implementation of the WTO or the emergence of economic powers in Asia such as China and India has been the reason for ASEAN to move into an integrated economy. From here I shall argue that in ASEAN’s case, the latter seems to be more convincing than the former. Having discussion among scholars, from both optimistic and pessimistic perspectives regarding the success of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), it can be argued that the implementation of the AEC may represent the realisation of ASEAN as a single market. The ongoing process for the implementation of the AEC illustrates ASEAN’s mo...
The 'ASEAN' Way: Bedrock of Regional Integration or Mere Impediment?
This paper explores the questions whether and in how far ASEAN is a success for Southeast Asia, which challenges the regional organization faces and whether it should move to deeper integration in the future. Following a brief overview of the historic development of ASEAN (part II), the achievements and difficulties of the regional organization are summarized (part III). Against this background, the paper analyzes whether and how accomplishments might be realized in the future and in which way ASEAN might overcome impediments on its way to deeper regional integration. The analysis ends with a summary of the main findings and a conclusion (part IV).
The ASEAN Way: A Barrier to the 2015 ASEAN Integration?
The aim of this paper, which is divided into four parts, is to discuss how the ASEAN Way serves as a barrier to the integration efforts taking place in ASEAN particularly in fields of the economy and security. The first part briefly discusses major aspects of the integration theory which would serve as the framework for analyzing ASEAN integration for this paper. The second part would describe the ASEAN Way of conducting foreign relations. The third part delves into the dynamics of the ASEAN Way in the realm of economic cooperation and how it could affect the proposed ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The fourth part analyzes the ASEAN Way vis-à-vis security cooperation and its effect on the envisioned ASEAN Security Community (ASC). The paper concludes by arguing that since integration is premised upon gradual relinquishment of sovereignty from the state to regional or global bodies, the ASEAN Way, as a norm of guiding interstate relations, must be modified in order to have a much more meaningful integration.