As ASEAN gears up for ASEAN Community 2015, questions have been raised whether this is achievable and what it will mean for ASEAN citizens and corporations. Deeper policy questions also arise as to how ASEAN works and whether its institutions can further support the process. Integration and ongoing economic liberalisation also surface questions of risk from contagion and negative spill-over effects between member states’ economies.

This brief will identify the institutional issues that arise and discuss what ASEAN can and should do, looking not just to end 2015, but toward deeper integration in the future. Key suggestions include engaging different stakeholders beyond governments to gather views on the quality of governance of ASEAN institutions, developing centres of excellence on public policy, commissioning project teams on identified key issues, strengthening risk surveillance and financial stability monitoring and taking steps to incrementally enhance policy coordination and foster cross-sectoral cooperation.