ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the institutional variance by providing a comparison of two examples of non-European regionalism: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Both of these organizations can be seen as alternatives to the EU model of regional integration, being, arguably, more intergovernmental and more restricted in their approach. The chapter argues that divergence of institutional design can be explained by the different vulnerabilities countries may face when they create regional organizations. As ASEAN's degree of legalism is low while its flexibility is high, the theoretical approach suggests that within ASEAN the vulnerability to outside forces was greater than the vulnerability to actions of regional actors. In terms of adaptive flexibility, that is the ability to accommodate changing preferences of member states, ASEAN is a very flexible organization. In terms of policy goals there are good reasons to pursue legalism as well as flexibility.
