The private sector is evidently a crucial stakeholder to the success, or failure, of the profound regional structural reform taking shape in Southeast Asia — the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015.

CARI’s research mandate is to assist the private sector understand, prepare for and transition into the regional integration, involving ten countries of ASEAN.

In gearing towards this monumental formation of economic transformation, our research aims to build a case for an integrated market of ASEAN which facilitates freer trade in goods, services, labour, capital and investment by untangling the AEC blueprint for different business sectors.

We engage frontline business community, academics, media and policy makers to produce business and corporate strategies enablers, by identifying the barriers to operating in a region coming together as an economic bloc. Ultimately, we seek to use our findings as a foundation for open dialogue with the policy makers towards lifting these roadblocks.