义务性、精确性和授权度构成了衡量制度化程度的重要参数，依此标准对东盟和非盟的地区安全治理机制进行比较发现东盟的东盟地区论坛具有低制度化的论坛机制特征，而非盟以和平安全理事会为核心的地区安全治理架构具有高制度化特征。东盟和非盟之所以呈现出这种不同的制度设计特征，原因在于二者具有不同的主权威胁，即东盟在安全领域主要面临着大国争夺形成的主权威胁，从而促使东盟在安全领域形成了“不干涉内政”的规范文化，而非盟在安全领域主要面临着国内政府治理能力不足带来的主权威胁，从而促使非盟越来越卷入成员国的国内事务，以及最终形成了“干涉内政”的原则规范。
Institutionalization is generally measured through three parameters：obligation，precision，and delegation，to which we can refer when the level of security governance of ASEAN and of AU is compared. It is found that the ASEAN Regional Forum is lower institutionalized，while the AU’s Peace and Security Council-centered security architecture is highly institutionalized. The difference between the respective institutional designs lies the different perceptions of threat to their sovereignties. Great powers’ competition constitutes a kind of sovereign threat toward ASEAN member countries，so the ASEAN has developed “non-interference” as a fundamental principle of institutional building in security affairs. Great powers’ competition has been not as intensive in Africa as in East Asia and the sovereign threat in Africa are more related with lack of governing capacity. Therefore，AU is becoming involved in members’ internal issues，and has developed “non-indifference” norms in security affairs.
