Regulatory regionalism, political projects, and state transformation in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

I find in the Asia-Pacific new modes of regulatory regional governance—regulatory regionalism. My approach suggests that a variety of regulatory regimes are located inside rather than outside the state. Hence an important implication of my argument is that my analysis of regional governance must be focused much more on the transformation of the state rather than on the creation of new regional institutions. Governance is regionalized within the state bringing with it new actors, forums, and procedures which go unrecognized in much of the literature on regional governance. In the latter half of the article, I examine the mobilization of regulatory governance projects via both the national and subnational state in China. These regulatory projects are in response to the interests and challenges faced by internationalization of state capital. The article concludes by focusing on the increasing contestation between U.S.- and Chinese-led regulatory projects such as the Trans Pacific Partnership and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.