Regimes, Non-State Actors and the State System:

Abstract

Regime analysis has become a popular approach in International Relations theory and in international policy studies. However, current regime models exhibit some shortcomings with regard to (1) addressing non-state actors, and in particular nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), (2) the balancing of actor and structure in analyses and (3) the conceptualization of social and political change in the international system. To overcome these shortcomings, this article constructs a regime model on the basis of the structuration theory of Anthony Giddens. In doing so, it takes a position in the agent-structure debate that has recently overwhelmed the study of International Relations, but `positioning' is not the main objective of this article, as it particularly aims at expanding regime analysis. The article first presents neoinstitutionalist, neorealist and political economy models on regimes. It then challenges their main focus on states as well as their ontological claims. From that discussion, structuration theory is presented as a means to address these issues more properly and, subsequently, an alternative model is proposed. Finally, this `structurational' regime model will be discussed.