澳大利亚与环印度洋联盟的制度变迁

Australia and the Indian Ocean Rim Association's Institutional Change

随着21世纪印度洋的战略重要性逐步上升,印度洋地区主义受到地区大国的重视。在此背景下,澳大利亚推动了环印度洋地区唯一部长级地区论坛的制度变迁,从环印度洋地区合作联盟转型为环印度洋联盟。本文主要基于交易成本模型来分析澳大利亚在制度变迁中的作用。首先,本文从成员资格、议题领域、集中程度、灵活性与控制权等方面分析制度变迁的内容。该制度的议题领域从开放地区主义转向海事地区主义,集中化程度有所提升,同时保持协商一致的决策程序,偏好达成非正式协议。其次,制度变迁的促进因素包括澳大利亚与印度、印度尼西亚关系的透明度增加,以及海事议题不确定性的上升。再次,与亚太经合组织相比,环印度洋联盟呈现交易频率低与国家异质性高的特点。这导致其在贸易自由化议题的弱化,并且维持高度的灵活性与分散的控制权。最后,对环印度洋联盟的低制度化水平需要破除两个认识误区,即弱联系无用论与低有效性论。

Since the strategic importance of India Ocean gradually rose in the21st century,the Indian O-cean regionalism has gained continuous attention from regional powers.In the context,Australia endeavored to promote the institutional change of the sole ministerial regional forum in this region,from the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation(IOR-ARC)to the Indian Ocean Rim Association(IORA).Based on the Transaction Cost Model,the article mainly dissects the role of Australia in IORA's institutional change.First of all,the paper analyzes the content of institutional change in terms of membership,issue ar-eas,concentration,flexibility,and the right of control.The institution shifted its main issue areas on maritime regionalism from open regionalism,and increased the level of concentration,while maintaining the decision-making process on the basis of consensus and the preference for informal agreement.Secondly,improved transparency of ties between Australia with India and Indonesia,and the rising uncertainty of maritime agendas constitute the driving force for the institutional change.Thirdly,compared with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation,IORA,with a high degree of flexibility and decentralized control,is characterized by low transaction frequency and high heterogeneity among members,which weaken the importance of issue areas concerning trade liberalization.Finally,it is a necessity to get rid of two misunderstandings about IORA's low-level institutionalization,namely no utility of weak ties and low effectiveness.