The Political Economy of Interregional Relations : ASEAN and the EU

Using ASEAN-EC relations as a case study, this book raises the broader question of whether a new level of international relations, the interregional level, is emerging.

In order to answer this question, the text draws on the recent literature on regionalism and on the relationship between social structure and human agency.

The book highlights a number of topics, including: the shifting of production by some Japanese firms to Southeast Asia in response to EC anti-dumping measures; evaluations by the EC, independent consultants and Southeast Asian NGOs of successful and unsuccessful development projects; the ASEAN and EC consensus to ignore human rights violations in East Timor; and ASEAN-EC programmes to encourage investment by European firms in Southeast Asia.

Based on previously neglected official documents (for example, EC anti-dumping investigations), NGO reports on development projects, scholarly work in other European languages (notably German and French) and interviews in Europe and Southeast Asia, the book should interest political economists and scholars of ASEAN-EC relations.