Introduction: Regional Institution Building and Diffusion
Year: 2021
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: This chapter introduces the main puzzle and argument of the book, and describes the research approach. It shows that authority-enhancing institutional change is frequent in regional organizations, yet existing theories expect international institutions to be fairly stable due to high institutional barriers to change and concerns about the sovereignty costs of independent international institutions. It is argued that one important driver of institutional creation and change is diffusion from the European Union, both as an active supporter of regional institution building and as a successful model of regional cooperation. This argument is tested through a mixed-methods design that includes large-N statistical analysis and several single and comparative case studies. The chapter also summarizes the main implications of the argument for theories of regional organization and for debates about international institutional design and diffusion.
Source: Oxford University Press eBooks
Author: Tobias Lenz
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W3183494967