Think Tanks and Non-Traditional Security

ASEAN think tanks, policy change and economic cooperation: from the Asian financial crisis to the global financial crisis

“…If 'Track One' consists of formal mechanisms of governance, then 'Track Two' represents informal mechanisms that exist alongside formal processes and are composed of 'blended' groups of academics, foreign policy and security civil servants, business people and representatives from NGOs (Kerr, 1994). These processes, within which think tanks have often been dominant players (Soesastro et al, 2006;Zimmerman, 2016), are given considerable weight in the region and serve important functions as 'idea generators and places to propose and discuss, among other things, new norms or standards' (Harris, 2000, p. 501).…”

“…In addition, solidifying state capacity and often either direct or indirect political and bureaucratic KEYWORDS think tanks; financial crisis; discourse institutionalism; policy narrative; aSean patronage has nurtured the Asian think tank industry. There has been a great deal of analysis of, and scholarly consensus around, the influence of Asian think tanks on regional security policy (see Job, 2010;Katsumata, 2003;Kerr, 1994;Kraft, 2000;Nesadurai & Stone, 2000;Soesastro, Joewono, & Hernandez, 2006;Zimmerman, 2016). By contrast, there has been far less questioning of think tank impact in regional economic policy.…”