Conceptualizing the Economic-Security-Identity Nexus in East Asia's Regional Order

Abstract

This chapter explains the notion of "regional order," outlining its three dimensions of structure, norm-governed interaction, and quality. It then explores four key ways in which the economic-security-identity nexus works: two "theories," or idealized models, of this nexus that push in opposite directions—the "virtuous cycle" and the "vicious circle"—and two "practices," or means by which policymakers and scholars have tended to deal with the economic-security-identity nexus—the former practically by pursing "parallel realities" and the latter analytically using a "balance of effect" framework. Illustrated with examples from Northeast and Southeast Asia, this analysis elucidates the main competing ways in which regional order can be shaped by complex interactions among economics, security, and identity. It also suggests the most significant avenues for further research.