The Pursuit of Sustainable Development through Regional Economic Integration

The paper argues that ASEAN's pursuit of sustainable development remains largely rhetorical, as its economic integration initiatives—such as AFTA and the AEC—often prioritize neoliberal open regionalism over the needs of marginalized groups. While the region has seen growth, significant disparities persist, with 21% of the population living in absolute poverty. The author suggests that ASEAN can become a development-oriented organization by reforming its policy of non-interference, empowering semi-skilled migrant workers and small-scale farmers, and increasing transparency in policymaking.

• There is a significant disparity in economic development across Southeast Asia; for example, the 2008 GDP per capita in Singapore (USD 38,046.1) and Brunei Darussalam (USD 35,622.6) far exceeds that of Myanmar (USD 464.6), Cambodia (USD 756.1), and Lao PDR (USD 817.8).
• Despite regional growth, absolute poverty remains widespread, affecting approximately 116 million people, or 21% of the total Southeast Asian population of 550 million.
• The ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) is criticized for threatening poverty alleviation in least developed member states by encouraging unemployment and failing to provide sufficient preferential margins to incentivize intra-ASEAN trade.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the region is dominated by non-ASEAN sources, and the pursuit of these inflows often occurs without guarantees of technology transfer or infrastructure development.
• Bilateral Free Trade Agreements (BFTAs) and Bilateral Economic Partnership Agreements (BEPAs) are often imbalanced, favoring developed partners and potentially harming local producers, as seen in Thailand where agricultural imports from China surged by 180%, causing local prices to drop by 30-50%.
• The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) fails to address the needs of unskilled and semi-skilled migrant workers, who constitute the majority of the region's migrant labor force.
• The Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), designed to narrow the gap between the CLMV countries and the ASEAN-6, suffers from a funding deficit and relies heavily on external partners, specifically Japan, which provided USD 70 million compared to USD 1 million from each ASEAN member.
• ASEAN's adherence to the principle of non-interference and a lack of common regional positions in international trade negotiations hinder its ability to effectively tackle collective issues like poverty.

APA

Chandra, A. C. (2009). The Pursuit of Sustainable Development through Regional Economic Integration. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pursuit_sd_economic_integration.pdf

Chicago

Chandra, Alexander C. The Pursuit of Sustainable Development through Regional Economic Integration. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pursuit_sd_economic_integration.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chandra |first1=Alexander C. |title=The Pursuit of Sustainable Development through Regional Economic Integration |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pursuit_sd_economic_integration.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chandra2009pursuit, author = {Chandra, Alexander C.}, title = {{The Pursuit of Sustainable Development through Regional Economic Integration}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/pursuit_sd_economic_integration.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }