Abstract

Labour migration has become one of the defining features of Southeast Asia. However, the governance response has so far been markedly uneven. First, with regard to the ‘objects’ of governance: the scope of governance is very different when it comes to so-called high-skilled labour and low-skilled labour). Second, uneven resources and bargaining power of countries of origin and destination in the region lead to equally uneven governance measures Third, the progress and depth of governance contributions is very uneven between responses from the top-down and the bottom-up. This chapter employs a multi-level and multi-stakeholder perspective to the concept of regional migration governance. It analyses Regional Consultative Processes, governance efforts within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the role of conventions and declarations. It is argued that migrant civil society is an essential stakeholder that can contribute to regional migration governance from below.