No abstract

Today there are no treaties on small arms control, tactical nuclear weapons, deforestation, information privacy and other global issues. The absence of intergovernmental institutions in various policy arenas is a phenomenon with considerable policy as well as theoretical implications. Yet, scholarship on multilateralism largely ignores instances where institutions do not emerge. Investigating such 'negative' cases can improve understanding of collective action in world politics, and help build more complete explanations of why some problems trigger international policy responses while others do not. We develop the concept of nonregimes, discuss theoretical and methodological reasons why their study is valuable, outline a methodological approach to pursue the research agenda, and highlight a priori theoretical considerations. Six illustrative cases from the areas of arms control, environmental management and international political economy are described. PLEASE DO NOT CITE WITHOUT PERMISSION