Civil Society in Search of an Alternative Regionalism in ASEAN

The document discusses the emergence of 'alternative regionalism' in Southeast Asia, driven by civil society actors seeking a bottom-up approach to regional governance. It notes that while ASEAN has historically engaged with limited academic and economic actors, there is a growing demand from NGOs and community-based organisations to participate in decisions affecting the region's 550 million people, particularly regarding human rights and economic development.

• There is currently no common understanding among regional actors regarding the specific meaning of 'alternative regionalism' in the Southeast Asian context, and theoretical and practical debates on the subject have been insufficient.
• Alternative regionalism in Southeast Asia is characterized by a demand for a spontaneous, bottom-up process that includes a wide range of stakeholders in the creation of regional institutions and policy-making.
• ASEAN's historical engagement with civil society has been restricted to a small number of academic and economic actors, despite the potential for NGOs and community-based organisations to serve as partners in regional projects.
• Civil society groups are increasingly motivated to engage with ASEAN to promote human rights and sustained economic development for the region's 550 million people.
• ASEAN needs to rapidly develop systematic mechanisms to institutionalise its engagement with diverse non-state groups to accommodate the various concerns and aspirations of society across Southeast Asia.

APA

Chandra,, A. C. (2009). Civil Society in Search of an Alternative Regionalism in ASEAN. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/civil-society-search-alternative-regionalism-asean

Chicago

Chandra,, Alexander C. Civil Society in Search of an Alternative Regionalism in ASEAN. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/civil-society-search-alternative-regionalism-asean.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chandra, |first1=Alexander C. |title=Civil Society in Search of an Alternative Regionalism in ASEAN |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 June 2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/civil-society-search-alternative-regionalism-asean |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chandra2009civil, author = {Chandra,, Alexander C.}, title = {{Civil Society in Search of an Alternative Regionalism in ASEAN}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, month = jun, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/civil-society-search-alternative-regionalism-asean}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }