The Rise of International Regime Complexity

Abstract

The signature feature of twenty-first-century international cooperation is arguably not the regime but the regime complex. A regime complex is an array of partially overlapping and nonhierarchical institutions that includes more than one international agreement or authority. The institutions and agreements may be functional or territorial in nature. International regime complexity refers to international political systems of global governance that emerge because of the coexistence of rule density and regime complexes. This article highlights insights and questions that emerge from the last 15 years of scholarship on the politics of international regime complexity, explaining why regime complexes arise, what factors sustain them, and the range of political effects regime complexity creates. Our conclusion explains why, in a post-American world order, the trend of greater international regime complexity will likely accelerate.

Regime Complexity and the Institutions of Crisis and Development Finance

“…Cf. particularly Alter and Raustiala (), Keohane and Victor (), Nye (); for discussion, see van de Graaf and de Ville () and Ruggie ().…”

Domestic courts, transnational law, and international order

“…Moreover, theories of regime complexity recognize a growing set of actors making claims over the same international governance arenas (Alter and Raustiala, 2018). These dynamics are, however, not restricted to international courts or organizations; domestic courts need to be factored in as potential sites of authority.…”

Is It Time for a Reset in Arctic Governance?

“…Fortunately, the literature on international governance suggests another way to think about the operation of multiple regimes that seems more promising as an approach to Arctic governance. The key concept here is the idea of a regime complex treated as a collection of distinct institutional arrangements dealing with related matters but not organized into a hierarchical structure [21]. Such complexes may deal with identifiable issue areas (e.g., the regime complexes for plant genetic resources and for climate) or with spatial areas (e.g., the regime complex for Antarctica) [22][23][24].…”