Second Track Process: Normative Structure And Community Building

The Network of East Asian Think-tanks (NEAT) has been getting increasingly great attention in East Asian cooperation in recent years. Starting from this phenomemon, this dissertation attempts to answer what role TrackⅡprocess plays in regional community building.In its literature review, this dissertation focuses on three groups of theories, namely TrackⅡdiplomacy, TrackⅡprocesses including institutional and normative processes, and epistemic communities and transnational advocacy networks which are not TrackⅡin name but share many TrackⅡtraits. The author finds that none of these theories are effective enough in explaning the TrackⅡpractice and NEAT experience in East Asia.This dissertation makes assumptions around three key concepts, that is, TrackⅡprocess, norm structure, and community. TrackⅡprocess is unofficial interaction which is designed to provide intellectual support for official cooperation and participated by academia with official background. It is intersubjective interaction with shaping power. Norms are the medium and key element in the agent-structure interaction and mutual construction. Norm structure is both a system of norms and dynamic norm-system construction process. It is defined by the dominating norm in the system. Social norms are more profound than legal norms. Therefore, it can be said that norm structure is cultural structure dominated by social norms. Community building is continuing identification and collective identity construction. The shaping of norm structure is an important part of community building.The dissertation hypothesizes that TrackⅡprocess makes important contributions to regional community building by shaping the norm structure. TrackⅡprocess shapes the norm structure in three ways, namely, norm construction, identity building and socialization networking. TrackⅡprocess is a norm entrepreneur and government-recognized policy advisor. Trough norm advocation—norm spreading—norm internalization, it enbles the norm to take part in the norm competition at the system level and hence influence the norm structure. Through each step of the above-mentioned process, TrackⅡcan also influence the cultural-institutional environment and hence have indirect impact on norm structure. TrackⅡprocess builds its identity both internally and externally. In identity building, it influences the normative environment and hence indectly shapes the norm structure. In building its internal identity, TrackⅡproess is the site for norm socialization. Collective identity is internalized by its members through role-playing, communication and self-restraint. In building its external identity, TrackⅡprocess is a promoter of norm socialization. The mechanism for socialization is role-playing and persuasion. Socialization networking of the TrackⅡprocess is to weave relevant actors into the web and enable them to internalize relevant norms through language construction and"talk-shop"effect. Thus, TrackⅡprocess can develop networks at different dimensions and socialize the new members to form epistemic communities in different areas or around different issues. By socialization networking, TrackⅡprocess can also influence the norm structure at the system level. The interaction between regional norm structure and TrackⅡprocess is two-way construction. Such continuing interaction and construction is an important feature and content of regional community building.The dissertation uses NEAT and East Asian community building as a case to test the hypothesis.