Philippine E-Journals

ASEAN Integration: The Domination and Subordination among Member Nations

Herben M Tautho | Maria Sheila E. Cañete

Discipline: Social Science

 

Abstract:

The ASEAN from its original purpose of conception has evolved into what it is envisioned now of integrating the 10 individual economies into a single regional economy. Its traditional practice of consensus and consultation poses a challenge and as a factor in lagging behind the development of its implementation. But what state from among the ten members is the best candidate to lead the organization remained to be a question. This research explores the possibility of determining the potential leader of the organization by considering several variables like corruption perception index, global competitiveness, government effectiveness, GNI, etc. and utilized the process known as exploratory data analysis or data mining in gathering data. Data gathered were then processed through the use of statistical software to cluster the variables. Cluster analysis was then performed to establish relevant relationships, similarities, or differences of the data collected. Results and data gathered from several relevant studies about the topic were also collectively analyzed to determine the gap of perspectives from other notable scholars and to gain new insights to fill in that gap. Based on this method of analysis, it was revealed that there’s a single country that stands out from the rest and is the best candidate to lead the ASEAN Integration. A new paradigm shift is beginning to surface from collective to a single leadership.