Kaewkamol Pitakdumrongkit

BEYOND THE SECRETARIAT: ADDRESSING GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY

This article investigates interactions between institutional designs and values upheld by states on institutional effectiveness, for the purpose of understanding why particular institutions perform better than the others in extracting compliance and cooperation from countries. I contend that institutional effectiveness — defined as the ability to extract states’ compliance and foster cooperation — is explained by dynamics between institutional functions and actors’ governing principles. The higher the compatibility between these two factors, the higher the degree of institutions’ effectiveness, and vice versa. This argument was validated through cases of non-tariff barrier (NTB) elimination and trade facilitation under the ASEAN Economic Community framework.