Evaluating the effectiveness of international environmental regimes: A comparative case study analysis

This thesis proposes a framework for evaluating the effectiveness of international environmental regimes by separating regime evolution into four sequential modes: regime formation; setting of rules and targets; implementation; and monitoring, measuring and analysis. This framework facilitates comparison across regimes at different points in their life cycles by allowing isolation at a given regime mode, and enables a more precise evaluation of the variables that influence regime effectiveness by narrowing the analytical lens to specific stages of the regime's maturation. The model is articulated, placed in the context of previous research on the effectiveness of international environmental regimes, and utilized in a comparative case study analysis of four regimes: climate change, ozone, whaling, and biodiversity. Though no specific hypotheses are tested, the case studies demonstrate that the model provides a cohesive framework for evaluation, which may be utilized by scholars to guide research and to situate current research within a broader context.