Resources for the Future Library Collection
Policy and Governance
Volume 14
Compliance & Public Authority
A Theory with International Applications
Full list of titles in the set
POLICY AND GOVERNANCE
Compliance & Public Authority
A Theory with International Applications
Oran R. Young
First published in 1979 by Resources for the Future
This edition first published in 2011 by RFF Press, an imprint of Earthscan
First edition Resources for the Future 1979
This edition Earthscan 1979, 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except as expressly permitted by law, without the prior, written permission of the publisher.
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 USA
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and Development
ISBN: 978-1-61726-060-5 (Volume 14)
ISBN: 978-1-61726-007-0 (Policy and Governance set)
ISBN: 978-1-61726-000-1 (Resources for the Future Library Collection)
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Publishers note
The publisher has made every effort to ensure the quality of this reprint, but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent.
At Earthscan we strive to minimize our environmental impacts and carbon footprint through reducing waste, recycling and offsetting our CO2 emissions, including those created through publication of this book.
COMPLIANCE AND PUBLIC AUTHORITY
Compliance and
Public Authority
A theory with
international applications
ORAN R. YOUNG
Published for Resources for the Future
By The Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore and London
Copyright 1979 Resources for the Future, Inc.
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 79-2193
ISBN 978-1-61726-060-5
RESOURCES FOR THE FUTURE, INC.
1755 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
Board of Directors:
Gilbert F. White, Chairman, Irving Bluestone, Harrison Brown, Roberto de O. Campos, Anne P. Carter, Emery N. Castle, William T. Coleman, Jr., F. Kenneth Hare, Franklin A. Lindsay, Charles F. Luce, George C. McGhee, Ian MacGregor, Vincent E. McKelvey, Laurence I. Moss, Frank Pace, Jr., Stanley H. Ruttenberg, Lauren Soth, Janez Stanovnik, Russell E. Train, M. Gordon Wolman
Honorary Directors: Horace M. Albright, Erwin D. Canham, Edward J. Cleary, Hugh L. Keenleyside, Edward S. Mason, William S. Paley, John W. Vanderwilt
Officers:
President: Emery N. Castle
Secretary-Treasurer: John E. Herbert
Resources for the Future is a nonprofit organization for research and education in the development, conservation, and use of natural resources and the improvement of the quality of the environment. It was established in 1952 with the cooperation of the Ford Foundation. Grants for research are accepted from government and private sources only if they meet the conditions of a policy established by the Board of Directors of Resources for the Future. The policy states that RFF shall be solely responsible for the conduct of the research and free to make the research results available to the public. Part of the work of Resources for the Future is carried out by its resident staff; part is supported by grants to universities and other nonprofit organizations. Unless otherwise stated, interpretations and conclusions in RFF publications are those of the authors; the organization takes responsibility for the selection of significant subjects for study, the competence of the researchers, and their freedom of inquiry.
This book is a product of RFF's Quality of the Environment Division directed by Walter O. Spofford, Jr.
The book was edited by Joan R. Tron. The index was prepared by Sydney Schultz. The art was drawn by George F. Hager.
RFF editors: Joan R. Tron, Ruth B. Haas, Jo Hinkel, Sally A. Skillings
For Linda
Contents
The origins of this study lie in some serious doubts I have harbored for many years about several widely shared beliefs pertaining to international relations. Specifically, I have never felt comfortable either with the proposition that the fundamental problems of the international system are attributable to the absence of centralized international institutions of government or with the argument that international law is not really law at all because of the absence of formalized enforcement mechanisms. These doubts have induced me to think repeatedly about the nature of rules in international society as well as about the factors that determine whether individual actors comply with or violate these rules.
Considerations of this sort initiated a thought process that soon led me to broaden my focus. It was not long before I realized that international society is a member of the set of highly decentralized social systems, and that there might well be similarities among all the members of this set with respect to the problem of compliance. From here, it was only natural to take an additional step and to think about the problem of compliance as it arises in the whole class of social systems. As a theoretician, I had little hesitation in expanding the scope of my reflections in search of powerful generalizations about the problem of compliance.
As a result, I quickly found myself engaged in an effort to construct a theory of compliance at the most general level. This effort is reflected in the theoretical chapters of this monograph. Even as I began increasingly to think about compliance in general terms, however, I did not lose interest in the initial puzzles that precipitated my concern. I found that I retained a desire to sort out what struck me as serious confusions about the nature of the international system. Therefore, I have also made a concerted effort to apply my ideas about compliance to that specific case.
As always, it is a pleasure to express my gratitude for the help I have received from a number of institutions and individuals. Among institutions, the Rockefeller Foundation made the crucial contribution by awarding me a fellowship that freed me from teaching duties during the academic year 1975-1976. Resources for the Future added an additional grant that enabled me to finish up the project during 1977. Other institutions that supplied much appreciated logistical support include Tel-Aviv University, The Richardson Institute for Conflict and Peace Research, and the University of Maryland.
Among individuals, I owe a special debt to my good friend, Albert M. Chammah. He not only read the first draft of the manuscript and provided detailed comments, but also participated cheerfully in innumerable discussions dealing with various aspects of compliance. Other colleagues whose assistance has been especially helpful during the course of this study include Michael B. Nicholson, Joe A. Oppenheimer, Clifford S. Russell, and Saadia Touval. I am indebted to my assistant, Robert Warrington, who performed a wide range of tasks for me during the years 1976-1978. My editor, Joan Tron, helped me to eliminate numerous infelicities in the draft of this study. Needless to say, I alone am responsible for all remaining weaknesses and defects in the essay.
