ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by returning to the general propositions of realist institutionalism outlined in Chapter 2, the specific hypotheses derived from them and assessing how the evidence laid out in the chapters above confirm them or not. Realist institutionalism is built on three propositions: that great powers manage interdependence by building institutions that serve their interests; that distributive gains matter greatly in their demands on others (though they will use policy ideas to guide their behaviour); and that great powers exercise economy that favours incremental change over radical solutions, and favours enforcement pyramids that use coercion and imposition sparingly, where necessary to protect and promote the system.
