Explaining G8 Compliance: Reciprocity, ministerial institutionalization, and accountability

This chapter discusses squarely within the second body of work. It shows that a significant degree of compliance occurs and that its variance. The chapter addresses a central puzzle for international relations: under what conditions do international institutions constrain state autonomy. It presents a quantitative analysis, suggesting ministerial meetings in conjunction with formal accountability mechanisms (AMs) increase the likelihood of compliance in the associated policy field. The chapter deals with a brief discussion of hegemonic and reciprocal institutionalist theories and also presents a quantitative analysis that supports reciprocal conceptions of the Group of Seven/Eight (G7/8). The chapter reviews some theories that both purport to explain compliance in an institutional framework and can be quantitatively tested. It discusses the data, models, methods and limits of the findings and focuses on the suggestive yet plausible policy recommendations that could be derived from this explanation of G7/8 compliance.