ASEAN Economic Blueprint 2025 End-term Review

The Project at A Glance

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint is a ten-year plan, from 2016 to 2025 which sets out the broad directions of ASEAN’s economic integration process and the AEC vision by 2025. The Blueprint is in the final stages of implementation and International Economics (IEC) will assist the ASEAN Secretariat in undertaking the end-term review (ETR) of the AEC Blueprint 2025, as well as preparing inputs for the post-2025 AEC agenda.

The project is funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für international Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

What We Found

The AEC Blueprint 2025 adopted by ASEAN Leaders in 2015, in Malaysia, outlines strategic measures for the AEC from 2016 to 2025. The Blueprint aims to achieve a highly integrated and cohesive AEC by 2025, it consists of five interrelated and mutually reinforcing characteristics, namely:
(i) A Highly Integrated and Cohesive Economy;
(ii) A Competitive, Innovative, and Dynamic ASEAN;
(iii) Enhanced Connectivity and Sectoral Cooperation;
(iv) A Resilient, Inclusive, People-Oriented, and People-Centred ASEAN; and
(v) A Global ASEAN.

Our team will conduct the ETR for the AEC Blueprint 2025 and produce an assessment report. The team will work on the following tasks:

Assess the performance of the Blueprint 2025, its accomplishments, and successes, as well as analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, good practices and learning.
Guide the development of a robust post-2025 successor blueprint and strategic work plans for AEC; and
Inform future design of the implementation mechanism and process.

Our Strategy and Impact

International Economics will focus on compiling the ETR Report, evaluating the implementation and performance of the AEC Blueprint 2025 until 2023. The ETR will cover all activities implemented under the AEC Blueprint between November 2015 and end of 2024 and it will be undertaken based on five OECD-DAC Criteria.

Overall, a theory based, rather than an experimental approach, will be adopted, examining the internal logic of the Blueprint as articulated in the logical framework, objectives, and indicators. The theory-based approach will involve examining the programme’s theory of change: including the activities, outputs and outcomes and intended impact, as well as the mechanisms of change that link these various levels, the assumptions these involve, and the risks attached. The approach involves an assessment of the internal logic of the theory of change and the extent to which the theory has played out in practice. Understanding the pathways to change will be a critical element of the lessons learnt for the post-2025 way forward. Furthermore, given the different characteristics, range of activities implemented, and countries covered, the evaluation will undertake a review of the interventions and their contribution towards the end objective.

Our Core Solutions

Governments, international donors, and the private sector face many important questions on the expected outputs and impact before, during and after the implementation of their projects. This is where International Economics Consulting’s team of experts, using innovative methodologies to collect and analyse data, can assist you in tracking the economic, social, and environmental aspects of your project.

Applying our analysis and research knowledge, we help our clients maximise efficiency and improve their development objectives. Through the lessons learnt and the feedback mechanisms we implement in our monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) processes, we support institutional strengthening and the re-alignment of resources to ensure the sustainability and maximum impact of projects, helping our clients make well-informed strategic decisions.