Crafting Cooperation: Regional International Institutions in Comparative Perspective

Regional institutions are an increasingly important element of world politics. Their diversity is remarkable: some are very formal and bureaucratic, while others are informal and flexible. They also differ in terms of inclusiveness, decision-making rules and commitment to the principle of non-interference. This book is the first to provide a conceptual framework for comparing the design and effectiveness of regional international institutions. The case studies, by a group of leading scholars, provide a rigorous and historically informed analysis of the differences and similarities of institutions in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The chapters provide a more theoretically and empirically diverse analysis of the design and effectiveness of regional institutions than has hitherto been available.