Governance in World Affairs - by Oran R Young (Paperback)

About the Book

In this book Oran Young extends and generalizes his earlier work on international environmental regimes to present a comprehensive account of the current status and future prospects of regime theory as a way of thinking about governance in world...

Book Synopsis

In this book Oran Young extends and generalizes his earlier work on international environmental regimes to present a comprehensive account of the current status and future prospects of regime theory as a way of thinking about governance in world affairs.Young organizes his assessment around two overarching issues. The first emphasizes the idea that regimes are dynamic systems. An understanding of regime formation is thus a springboard for inquiries into the effectiveness of these arrangements once they become operational and into the processes through which regimes change over time. The second stresses the importance of fostering a dialogue between scholars who espouse distinct ways of thinking about international institutions: the collective-action perspective arising from the fields of economics and public choice and the social-practice perspective associated with the fields of sociology and anthropology.Within this framework, the book offers cutting-edge contributions regarding the tasks institutions perform, the effectiveness of regimes, institutional change, and linkages among distinct regimes.

Review Quotes

Although there is no single, overarching theme or argument in the book, it abounds with ideas and insights, and can perhaps be most fruitfully read for its compendium of novel approaches to the study of regimes--approaches that at times suggest not only new research questions, but even entire research programs.

--Kal Raustiala, UCLA School of Law "The American Journal of International Law"

Oran Young starts this interesting book with a question: 'What is to be done in the face of the apparent gap between the demand for governance and the supply of governance at the international level?' Anyone wanting a broad review of the 'state of the art' on international regimes should read this book. It will be the foundation for further development of this field.

--Elinor Ostrom, Indiana University "Canadian Journal of Political Science"

Oran Young's Governance in World Affairs is the culmination of the author's long-term interest into regimes and is intended as a comprehensive statement of the regime theoretic approach to global governance. In this, he clearly succeeds. Young's deep knowledge of the subject and his ability to convey this in an easily digestible manner are patently clear from the outset. The discussion is impressive in terms of its range, thoughtfulness, and at times the amount of critical distance between author and subject. The book takes the reader through the key debates that have emerged in relation to regime theory, seeks to gently disarm critics, build upon the work of fellow travellers, and both acknowledge and probe beyond what he regards as the limits of regimes analysis.

--John MacMillan, Keele University "Millennium: Journal of International Studies"

This volume is the culmination of a long-term research project on the theoretical underpinnings of an emerging global governance regime.... Highly recommended for all college and university libraries.

-- "Choice"

Young is generous and patient, to a fault, with his critics. He graciously acknowledges the claims of constructivist critics, even when their... assaults manage merely to restate the blindingly obvious while murdering the English language.

--Mark Imber, University of St. Andrews "International Affairs"

Young's book is a welcome addition to some other regime studies...

--Monica Tennenberg, Department of Political Science, University of Lapland "The Northern Review"

About the Author

Oran Young is Director of the Institute on International Environmental Governance at Dartmouth College. Among his books are Creating Regimes: Arctic Accords and International Governance, International Governance: Protecting the Environment in a Stateless Society, and International Cooperation: Building Regimes for Natural Resources and the Environment, all from Cornell.