Commitment devices are useful in facilitating agreement on, and
implementation of, integration commitments, especially amongst a
heterogeneous group. ADB flagship study identifies a number of these
devices. One such device, the mobilization of political leaders, is said
to help ensure cooperation by entrenching the commitment to the
collective project deep within the political executive.16 US President
Clinton’s initiation of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in 1993 had the
effect of galvanizing political commitment to the cause of Pacific-wide
economic liberalization. However, as the APEC and the ASEAN
experiences reveal, the initial public commitment by top political
leaders to cooperative projects has not been sufficient to ensure
compliance with commitments thus made. In fact, the involvement of
high-level political leadership can detract from project implementation
if political calculations external to the project are injected into decisionmaking.
In ASEAN, maintaining a unified position and good relations
with other leaders can be more important than censuring a non cooperative
member.