Presentation Schedule
From Space to Institutional Space: Japan-ASEAN Institutional Corridors and Regional Order (105117)
Session Chair: David Smith
Tuesday, 12 May 2026 10:20
Session: Session 1
Room: Room G407 (4F)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
For a long time, research in international relations has tended to treat “space” as a self-evident backdrop: regions are conceived as geographic containers, and proximity is measured by physical distance. This article advocates a shift from “space” to “institutional space”, understanding institutions as a relational field co-produced by treaty networks, regulatory linkages, and governance discourses. In this institutional space, states occupy different positions depending on their degree of institutional similarity and connectivity, gradually forming a set of “institutional corridors” characterized by compatible rules, similar policy templates, and convergent normative expectations. To provide illustrative empirical evidence for the theoretical claims above, this study conducts a comparative analysis based on official institutional texts and economic cooperation data released by Japan and ASEAN member states（2008—2024）, within an institutional-space structure organized along three dimensions: treaty–mechanism linkages, regulatory–policy template alignment, and governance discourse. Building on this, the article theorizes a “corridor effect”: once such corridors are produced, subsequent cooperation, commitments, and normative innovations tend to flow along these low-friction pathways rather than diffusing evenly across the region. This article conceptualizes “institutional space” as a new lens for examining the evolution of East Asian regional order and cooperation mechanisms and offers a theoretical point of departure for subsequent empirical research.
Authors:
Bing Pang, Waseda University, Japan
About the Presenter(s)
Bing Pang is a PhD candidate at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies (GSAPS), Waseda University, Japan.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule
Conference Comments & Feedback
Place a comment using your LinkedIn profileShare this Presentation
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress