Regional safe havens in a fragmented trade world: the case of ASEAN

An intriguing dimension of Asian regionalism is the mismatch between ambitious action plans and very weak implementation machineries. This project investigates the role assigned to such regional organisations in a fragmented regional economic architecture. It posits that Asian regionalism should be viewed as a platform for the supply of regional public goods providing benefits to both members and non-members.

The proliferation of bilateral PTAs in the region implies that such weak instruments of cooperation are becoming inadequate, prompting the move towards more ambitious integration plans, yet without any discernable adjustment in institutional machineries. Regional platforms appear doomed to remain parallel arrangements that will have only an indirect effect on the liberalisation process in the region (Dupont and Huang 2008).

To assess the relevance of the above claim, a case study approach on ASEAN is adopted given its dual focus on security and economics and its more restricted membership that makes it more comparable to other similar groupings elsewhere.

The project explores how single members of ASEAN engage in various forms of forum shopping (multilateralism, regionalism bilateralism) and the role they assign to ASEAN within this multi-pronged strategy. It considers venue-shopping both for negotiating new agreements and for discussing/settling trade disputes. In looking at governments’ policies, the project will assess the role of various determining factors – domestic political, systemic/security as well as the role of private actors, in particular firms. Empirically, the project will proceed with a series of country case studies, including both ASEAN members and non-members, with the objective to examine the alleged public good character of ASEAN.