*2.5. Adding Regional Alliances to Comparative Frameworks*

The associations of EU and ASEAN nations illustrate the benefits of regional cooperation in educational development. The social aspects of uplift are critical but realized differently across contexts. With the guiding hand of the Marshall Plan, Western Europe rebuilt after WWII, emphasizing socially progressive democratic institutions. The plan guided the redevelopment of institutions with a democratic vision. The former Soviet Union had no guidance promoting the democratization of institutions. Instead, they suffered difficult transitions from totalitarian governments to quasi-democratic ones. Much less visible in the educational and economic development literature, the Colombo Plan Staff College focused on moving nations from post-colonial status in the shadow of colonizing countries to indigenous planning for economic, educational, and social development among ASEAN partners. Democratic institutions are developing, possibly faster than in the post-Soviet Eastern European nations. Education for all, including vocational education for the working class, is part of the new stability realized in both regions.
