Regime Theory
Updated 2026-08-05
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Developed by Stephen Krasner and others in international relations, regime theory describes international regimes as sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules and decision-making procedures around which actor expectations converge in a given issue area. Regimes reduce transaction costs, supply information and reduce uncertainty, which makes cooperation possible without a world government. The theory explains why order persists in an anarchic system, while critics note that regimes can encode the preferences of powerful states.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Identify the regime: name the principles, norms and rules governing an issue before predicting behavior. - Lower transaction costs: build shared rules and information channels instead of relying on personal ties. - Watch for capture: check whether the rules encode one powerful member's preferences.
Anchor fast decisions
Under anarchy, each actor must guess what others will do, so mistrust and high transaction costs block mutually beneficial deals. A regime supplies standing rules and shared information, which makes behavior predictable and cheating detectable. Because expectations converge on the same rules, cooperation becomes the default rather than a one-off bargain.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regime_theoryverified
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