Darren de la Torre Mangado
Osaka University, Japan

Abstract: Parallel to the region’s economic revival post-Asian Financial Crisis is the growth of Southeast Asian multinational corporations (ASEANAs), which have recently been gaining prominence in popular business conversations. Nonetheless, academic discussions accounting for this empirical phenomenon are lacking. The extant literature deliberates ASEANAs and their successes in the context of Southeast Asian capitalism, characterized by concentrated business ownership and profitable but informal politico-business connections. It neglects Southeast Asia’s regionalization as a factor for ASEANAs’ successes on the account of previously insignificant and weak regional economic interactions between and among Southeast Asian countries. I argue that Southeast Asian regionalization post-Asian Financial Crisis has played a significant role in the recently observed importance of ASEAN. As by (1) facilitating regional policy coordination, and (2) intensifying intra-ASEAN investment engagements. This study reviews Southeast Asian regional economic interactions for lessons that can aid in post-pandemic economic reconstruction in the region.