My research examines the relationship between regional integration and democratization by comparing the efforts of the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to promote and embed democracy in their member states. The aims of this research are to highlight the variance within regions and explain how different regional integration projects have affected the democratic practices of their member states by comparing the intergovernmental ASEAN to the supranational EU. This research will also question regional integration’s ability to stabilise democratization with reference to the rise of nationalism in ASEAN and the democratic backslide in the EU.
