Institutional Complexity and the Crisis of the Multilateral System
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5380/cg.v14i2.98625Keywords:
Multilateralism, Complexity, Liberal Order, Compliance, International Regimes.Abstract
This article analyzes the crisis of the multilateral system through the lenses of the nature of the problem. The focus is on the international human rights and the international trade liberalization systems. The crisis is framed as a process of contestation of the International Liberal Order, as this Order was conceived after World War II. Two phenomena play a key role in the analysis: the level of institutional complexity of these two arenas and their respective challenges for state compliance. The nature of the problem imbricated in each arena is an essential characteristic for the understanding of their levels of institutional complexity. Ultimately, this characteristic is associated with the pattern of state compliance identified. The article concludes with an invitation to revisit the study of the nature of the problems that are ubiquitous in international politics, based on the accumulated knowledge on the topic, with an emphasis on challenges for collective action and for mechanisms of reciprocity.
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