Sequencing Asian Regionalism: Theory and Lessons from Europe

Abstract

Massive intra-Asian economic integration has been accompanied by very little institution building. This paper considers whether Asia needs new institutions by drawing lessons from the EU's supranational integration sequence and EFTA's intergovernmental sequence. Sequencing theory is presented and used to structure historical narrative of Europe's and Asia's sequencing and then used to draw implications of the analysis for future efforts to bring regional institutions to Asia. • JEL Classification: F15, F55 •