Regime Complexes: A Buzz, a Boom, or a Boost for Global Governance?

The impact of regime complexes on global governance calls for creative policy thinking. This introduction starts by offering a new and more precise definition of the concept of a regime complex. It then analyzes the structural impacts of such complexes on global governance and discusses the implications for management. The following contributions to this special section pursue these themes, examining the implications of regime complexes for international cooperation, the roles that states and intergovernmental organizations play in forming regime complexes, and the policy options available to those seeking to make use of complexes to address challenges of global governance.