15.05.2018 - 12:05

AREA Ruhr Lecture Series

Shaun Breslin: The Role of Transnational Governance in East Asian Regionalisation and Regionalism  |  Tue, May 15, 2018, 4–6 pm  |  Room SG 183, Geibelstraße 41, Duisburg

Since we have only a limited number of seats available, please register with kerstin.lukner@area-ruhr.de by this Friday (May, 11th).

Abstract
It is hard to put in place effective regional institutions if there is no shared agreement over what the region actually is (or should be). And despite the longevity of ASEAN, it’s fair to say that one characteristic of region building in Asia is competition to define the regional space in ways that best suit the interests of major powers. One consequence is the promotion of a range of regional projects which individually and collectively do not have a particularly good track record in providing either regional public goods or effective regional governance. But are understandings of what regionalism should look like and do still overly shaped by European experiences and theorising? Does regional governance have to be provided by an overarching regional institution? Or can operational methods of dealing with different shared transnational problems instead be provided on an ad-hoc and functional basis?
Indeed, does the existence of a regional body designed to deal with one transnational concern actually get in the way of finding working solutions to problems in different issue areas?
An analysis of different types of regional processes and initiatives in East Asia reveal five different stories of region – stories that end with conclusions about success and effectiveness that vary depending on what it is that is being studied (regional governance or regionalism) and perceptions of the geostrategic price worth paying for building transnational solutions. And the consequences of the rise of China looms very large in all five of these regional stories.

Bio
Shaun Breslin is Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. He is also co-editor of The Pacific Review, Senior Associate Research Fellow at ISPI in Milan, and an academician of the UK Academy of Social Sciences. He currently holds a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship to study the nature of China as a Great Power. Shaun’s research focuses on the interplay between China’s domestic political economy and China’s changing global role, with a side interest in comparative studies of regional integration processes.