ASEAN 2.0 is an effort to address my two interests: ICT and global governance. ICT — with its ability to overcome distance and time — should be the ideal tool for enhancing collaboration in creating global rules. Yet, ICT is still largely absent in the current literature on increasing stakeholder participation in global governance.

This study is one of eight projects being undertaken by the Pan Asia Network for eGovernance (PANeGOV). PANeGOV is a network of scholars from South and Southeast Asia and is funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The ASEAN Studies Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ASC-ISEAS), Singapore, also supported the conduct of this study. With the ASC-ISEAS behind this project, I had the pleasure of getting another opportunity to work with former ASEAN secretary general and current ASC-ISEAS head, Ambassador Rodolfo C. Severino. In the mid-1990s, I attended ASEAN Senior Official Meetings (SOMs) as a member of the Philippine delegation led by Ambassador Severino.

While my name appears as the author of the study, any text is hardly the product of one person alone. As noted by cultural critic Roland Barthes in Death of the Author, “the text is a tissue of quotations drawn from the innumerable centres of culture”. The brief description of the research and writing process that follows will illustrate the collaborations involved in producing this study.

With the help of Mina Peralta, who served as research associate for this study, a first draft was completed at the end of January 2010. Ambassador Severino and Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun, lead researcher, Political and Strategic Affairs, ASC-ISEAS, read and commented on this draft of the study.

A revised first draft was then made and was reviewed by the following:

1. • Dr Aileen Baviera, Professor, Asian Studies Centre, University of the Philippines — Diliman, the Philippines;

2. • Hans Bayaborda, Business Development Director (ASEAN and India), Oracle Corporation, the Philippines;

3. • Seow Hiong Goh, Executive Director, Global Policy and Government Affairs for Asia Pacific, Cisco, Singapore;

4. • Ramon L. Jocson, Vice-President, IBM Global Technology Services, Asia Pacific, Singapore;

5. • Dr Maria Consuelo Ortuoste, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, California State University East Bay, California, the United States; […]