Swarthmore College Works Political Science Faculty Works Political Science 1983 International Regimes: Lessons From Inductive Analysis D. J. Puchala Raymond F. Hopkins Swarthmore College,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-poli-sci Part of the Political Science Commons Let us know how access to these works benefits ouy Recommended Citation D. J. Puchala and Raymond F. Hopkins. (1983). "International Regimes: Lessons From Inductive Analysis". International Regimes. 61-91. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-poli-sci/241 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Political Science Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. International regimes: lessons from inductive analysis Donald J. Puchala and Raymond F. Hopkins Rising interest in the concept “international regime” in the 1970s is much like that accorded to “international system” in the 1950s. It has be come intellectually fashionable to speak and write about regimes.' Current faddishness notwithstanding, the purpose of this article is to show that the notion of regime is analytically useful, and that the concept is therefore likely to become a lasting element in the theory of international relations. As realist and other paradigms prove too limited for explaining an increasingly complex, interdependent, and dangerous world, scholars are searching for new ways to organize intellectually and understand international activity. Using the term regime allows us to point to and comprehend sets of activities that might otherwise be organized or understood differently. Thinking in terms of regimes also alerts us to the subjective aspects of international be havior that might be overlooked altogether in more conventional inquiries.