Civil Society Participation in “Created Spaces”

Abstract

In response to the constraints on civil society participation imposed by ASEAN, CSOs have increasingly developed what Jayasuriya and Rodan (2007) call “created spaces.” Rather than participating in spaces that have been sanctioned by ASEAN, CSOs pursue political activity that bypasses regional and state actors. Unlike the political arenas and modes of engagement established or recognized by ASEAN, the boundaries of created spaces are much more flexible as organizers are not necessarily seeking to encourage officials to participate. While all such modes of participation are unavoidably weakened by their lack of direct engagement with officials, through participation in these spaces CSOs, nonetheless, seek to influence regional policymaking.