ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the relationship between economic interests, motivations of state action, and the interaction of states in the potential for regional institutional development in the Asia region. It refers to a wide variety of international institutions at various stages of development in the Asia-Pacific region. The book offers a middle-of-the road approach between limiting the analysis narrowly to formalized institutions and addressing international relations in the region with a more open definition of "institutions". Various other studies of regional institutions have focused more on multilateral institutions. It provides a good academic debate between liberal and neorealist varieties of institutionalism; however, ongoing developments in regional institutions and relations since the publication of these studies need to be considered in order to build upon this debate.
