How can the global environment be safeguarded in the absence of a world government? In the vanguard of efforts to address this critical question, Oran R. Young draws on environmental issues to explore the nature of international governance. Young's analysis invokes the distinction between "governance," a social function involving the management of interdependent individuals or groups, and "government," a set of formal organizations that makes and enforces rules.

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Any reader interested in gaining an understanding of international cooperation, and especially why states have joined together frequently during the past few decades to address environmental problems, will find this a worthwhile book.