ASEAN and civil society activities in ‘created spaces’: the limits of liberty Kelly Gerard, University of Western Australia The Pacific Review, 2014, vol. 27 no. 2, pp. 265–287 Abstract: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has recently made numerous commitments to engage civil society organizations (CSOs) in its governance practices. However, the opportunities created offer limited means for CSOs to contest policy as a result of strict controls over who can participate and the forms of participation permitted. Activists have consequently pursued their agendas outside of spaces sanctioned by ASEAN through ‘created spaces,’ such as conferences organized parallel to official summits. However, this form of political participation has limited potential to influence official processes because despite its independence, these activities are still structured in relation to ASEAN practices. The ineffectual nature of CSO advocacy despite ASEAN’s people-orientated shift has been documented, however explanations for this trend remain limited. This article applies the modes of political participation framework that acknowledges the role of intergovernmental organizations in structuring spaces for civil society participation and, in doing so, shaping the contribution that CSOs can make. Through an examination of the regulations and practices that govern CSO participation in both ASEAN-sanctioned and independent spaces, it argues that spaces for CSO participation are structured to prevent CSOs from contesting policy, suggesting that ASEAN’s shift to widen participation is directed towards legitimating its reform agenda. Hence, ASEAN’s claim of becoming ‘people oriented’ must be considered in recognition of the limiting effect its engagement practices have on CSOs’ ability to advance alternative agendas. Keywords: ASEAN; Southeast Asia; civil society; regionalism; governance; representation. Introduction As a result of long-standing criticisms of its elitist nature and lack of political inclusiveness, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has recently claimed it is becoming a ‘people-oriented’ organization (ASEAN 2007a). However, despite the rhetoric, the mechanisms aimed at engaging civil society organizations (CSOs) that have emerged in recent years have not yielded the results desired by civil society activists. This is because these interactions have been intentionally structured to prevent CSOs from contesting ASEAN policy, primarily through strict controls over who can participate and the forms of participation that are permitted. In response to the constraints on civil society participation imposed by ASEAN, CSOs have increasingly developed what Jayasuriya and Rodan (2007) call ‘created spaces.’ Rather than participating in spaces that have been established or recognized by ASEAN, CSOs can pursue political activity that bypasses regional and state actors. Unlike the political arenas and modes of engagement sanctioned by ASEAN, the boundaries of created spaces are much more flexible as it is the participants who determine what takes place.