ABSTRACT
This chapter examines in detail nascent regional social policy in two world regions in Asia – Southeast and South Asia – represented by two regional associations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). ASEAN was established in 1967, and counts as members ten countries: the big economies of the ASEAN five (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) and the relatively smaller economies and/or newer members of the BCLMV (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam). It covers a land area of 4.5 million square kilometres, is home to 558 million people, and boasted a regional GDP of almost US$1 trillion in 2005. SAARC, on the other hand, is a younger initiative established in 1985, but boasts the largest of all regional groupings in terms of population, covering 1.5 billion people and eight countries: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan. It sits on a land area of 5.1 million square kilometres and also had a regional GDP of US$1 trillion in 2005. Together, ASEAN and SAARC account for 30 per cent of the world’s population. While their share of global output is modest (ASEAN and SAARC account for less than 1 per cent of world production), they count as members some of the most dynamic and fastest-growing countries in the world. This chapter aims to shed light on the differences and similarities between ASEAN and SAARC in terms of the extent to which the two associations have been able to develop regional social policies in their particular contexts. The first section lays out the context for comparing the two associations, with a discussion of their origins, organization and governance. The second section elaborates on common regional social policy concerns and why strengthened regional social policy is needed in SAARC and ASEAN. The third section discusses the extant social policy dimensions in the two regional associations and analyses initial distinctions between them. The final section introduces the important elements of demand, people’s access and participation as key components of successful regionalist projects.
