Welcome to ICOBIRD 2016

The implementation of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) effectively in January 2016 has signified three main urgencies for both decision makers and academic community. First this momentum has marked the culmination of the long journey of regional economic cooperation in Southeast Asia. Recalling how both academic and decision makers have been trying to make sense the path and the pattern of regional economic cooperation in Southeast Asia, thus, this momentum is the right time to revisit the entire process of this unique regional economic cooperation in Southeast Asia. Secondly, the moment before the official implementation of AEC, has shown a growing influence of regionalism to the domestic sphere of each Southeast Asian state, which has rarely been witnessed in the history of ASEAN so far. Finally, this first quarter after the implementation of AEC is also a crucial moment to see the trend of the implementation of AEC that people has been questioning before. Against this backdrop, The 5th International Conference on Business, International Relations, and Diplomacy (ICOBIRD) held by BINUS University would like to invite wider discussion on the above matter under the theme “Regional Economic Cooperation in Southeast Asia: Revisiting the Path and the Way Forward for the ASEAN Economic Community”.

The conference invites potential speakers to submit their paper on one of the following subtopics:

• Theorizing Regional Economic Cooperation in Southeast Asia
  • This subtopic discusses issues related to theoretical development on regional economic cooperation in Southeast Asia. It raises questions on how to better understand regional economic cooperation in Southeast Asia. Is it a unique regionalism that is different from other types of regionalism, and thus requires a new theory to understand it? Or could it be compared to other regionalism and thus sufficiently understood by existing theories on regionalism? What are the similarities and differences of the path to regional economic cooperation in Southeast Asia and other regions? What explains this variation? And what are the consequences? What additional insight that could possibly contributed by Southeast Asia’s experience on economic cooperation to theory development on regionalism and the study of IR in general? And vice versa, how do the existing theory and practical experience of other regions could contribute to understand regional economic cooperation in Southeast Asia?

• Regionalism or Globalism? Balancing The Vision of Single Market and Integration to Global Economy
  • While the previous subtopic attempts to understand the path and the way forward for the AEC by relating to the broader theoretical development on regionalism, the following three subtopics attempts to understand the path and the way forward for the AEC by examining the practice of the AEC specifically in three areas: its relations to globalism, its relations to domestic sphere, and its relations to other areas such as political, security and socio-cultural issues. This subtopic, in particular, discusses the first two objectives of AEC, that is to create a single market and to better integrate to the global economy. While these two elements should complement each other to support the broader vision of the AEC, some see also tensions in the practice and realization of these two visions. The efforts to integrate to global economy, for example, is often seen as compensating the vision to build a stronger single market internally. Therefore, this subtopic raises questions on the pros and cons of this debate. It also raises questions specifically on some other issues, such as how far the AEC has achieved the vision of single market? What have been done and need to be done in liberalizing the movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labors, and capital? Similarly, what have been done and need to be done in integrating the AEC with other regions and global economy in general? What are opportunities and challenges facing AEC by looking at the preparation and implementation of the AEC so far? Finally, how should AEC balance the vision of single market and integration to global economy?

• Regionalism or Nationalism? Balancing The Vision of Becoming A Competitive Region and Equitable Development
  • Contrast to the previous subtopic which focuses on the interconnectedness between AEC and the global sphere, this subtopic focuses on the interconnectedness between AEC and the domestic sphere. This subtopic discusses the remaining two objectives of AEC, that is to create a competitive region and equitable development. Similar with the first two objectives, some also sees tensions and unbalanced practice in the realization of these two objectives. The measures taken to create a competitive region is at some cases compensating and far more developed than measures taken to create an equitable development. This subtopic, therefore, discusses the the pros and cons of this debate. In addition, it discusses issues related to the preparation and implementation of policies on competitiveness, such as what have been done and need to be done on competition policies, consumer protection, intellectual property rights, infrastructure, tax, and e-commerce? How do measures taken to create a single market relate to those taken to increase competitiveness? Are they coherent and complementing or are they walking their own way and inhibiting each other? More importantly, how do measures taken to increase competitiveness relate to those taken to promote equitable economic development? How have small and medium enterprises, migrant workers, minorities, and other marginalized segments of the society participated in the AEC? How does AEC or regional economic cooperation in general affect the path and policies of political economy of development of each Southeast Asian states? How does the evolving role of state and the position of nationalism in the making of AEC? Reflecting Stanley Hoffman’s similar questions in the EU, are they obstinate or obsolete?

• The Political, Security, and Socio-Cultural Aspects of the AEC
  • While each economic aspect within the AEC is important, other aspects which may fall within other pillars of the ASEAN Community are no less important. This subtopic, thus, discusses broadly the role of political, security, and socio-cultural aspects in the implementation of AEC. It raises questions among other on how bilateral and multilateral disputes between states within Southeast Asia or between those in Southeast Asia and other regions affect the development of AEC and how various elements of domestic politics ranging from democratisation, ethnic politics and human rights affect the economic growth, competitiveness, and attitude towards AEC.

Interested candidate MUST submit their abstract by 30 June 2016 extended to 22 July 2016

Additional Information

Five best papers will be published in a special issue of Journal of ASEAN Studies (JAS). JAS is managed by Department of International Relations, BINUS University and indexed by World Cat, DOAJ, BASE, IPI, SSOAR, DRJI. This journal applies double-blind peer review.

Further Information

For further enqueries, please send  us an email at binus.icobird2016@gmail.com or contact Rangga Aditya Elias at +62 21 534 5830 ext. 2453.