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Abstract
Regional policies and programmes on communicable disease prevention and control are becoming an important component of global public health. In a comparative fashion, we examined the situation in the European and Southeast Asian contexts, with a focus on the underlying institutional and political backgrounds underpinning the regionalisation of planning and interventions. Our findings document the emergence of two distinctive models of regional integration. While in Europe there is a process of institutionalisation and centralisation, in Southeast Asia the landscape of regional cooperation is characterised by the proliferation of many provisional projects, based on loose agreements and a decentralised structure that emphasises the initiative and sense of ownership of member countries. These two approaches, we conclude, reflect wider differences of political culture between supranational integration in Europe and intergovernmental agreements in Southeast Asia.
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF). The sponsor of the study has been a constructive partner throughout the research stages by providing relevant empirical material, access to informants and feedback on preliminary results. All authors had full access to all the data in the study and alone share final responsibility for any information reported, interpretation and the decision to submit for publication.