The Institutions of Regionalism in South Asia—Do Institutions Matter?

Abstract

This paper assessesthe contribution of the keyinstitutions of Regional Cooperation and Integration (RCI) in South Asia in the context of the prevailing political and security environment, and to suggest ways in which the Asian Development Bankand other development partners can strengthen their support to them within the constraints imposed by this challenging environment. In an attempt to enhance our understanding of the interplay between politics and RCI it uses examples to show how political factors have constrained RCI, and continue to do so in many cases, as well as how good bilateral political relations or improvements in them have advanced RCI. Becausethe overall political environment is improving, it also suggests the time may have come for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation(SAARC)to consider strengthening the capacity of the SAARC Secretariat to meet the growing challenges and work load of managing the anticipated increase in RCI.