The Limits of Isomorphism: Global Investment Law and the ASEAN Investment Regime
42 Pages Posted: 15 Jul 2016 Last revised: 16 Jul 2016
Date Written: 2016
Abstract
This article probes the unique ontogenetic path of ASEAN’s regulation of foreign investment by juxtaposing global investment law and the ASEAN context. While the former delivers a powerful heuristic on isomorphism that ASEAN exhibits in its strong reflection of global investment norms, the latter sheds critical light on ideological and analytical blind spots by exploring distinct heterogeneities in ASEAN’s investment regulation. Those heterogeneities are not simply outliers but reflect important historical and cultural values inherent to ASEAN and its members. The insights uncovered in this article invite scholars and policymakers to define a new form of global investment law that is more inclusive and flexible than the strict and conventional paradigm.
Keywords: ASEAN, international investment law
JEL Classification: F21, F13, F53, K33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation