The Regime Complex for Education

• In Event: Dynamic Evolution of International Regime Complexes (Pre-Recorded)

Abstract

What are the determinants and consequences of regime complexity? We argue that fundamental features of international issue areas – network effects and barriers to entry – determine the degree of feasible competition, and thus the extent of hierarchy and differentiation in regime complexes. Competition tends to erode the dominance of status quo institutions, reducing hierarchy. Features of regime complexes are critically shaped by history, specifically the distribution of institutionalized privileges in the inaugural institution. Differentiation varies according to the power and material resources of dissatisfied actors: powerful states will seek a shift in the broader status quo by introducing duplicative institutions that compete directly with the inaugural institution, while actors with limited resources will tend to seek niches where overlap is limited. The impact of regime complexity on substantive policy outcomes also depends on the status quo configuration of institutions, particularly which actors are institutionally empowered and thus stand to lose from intensifying competition. We develop this theory and test four hypotheses by examining the regime complex for education, a substantively important issue area that has been often neglected by international relations scholars.

Authors

• Phillip Y. Lipscy, University of Toronto

• Rie Kijima