ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how legal and political contexts have affected the evolution of management regimes for the global commons. It presents the assumptions that undergird the discussions of international and global commons that follow. The first assumption is that a knowledge of historical and institutional history is important in regime design and sustainability. The second assumption is that sustainability is the appropriate goal for public policy outcomes in international and global commons. The chapter starts by setting out the terms, definitions, and concepts used throughout the book. It discusses the influence of national politics, scientific uncertainty, and interest groups on the formation of international regimes. The chapter also discusses Antarctica as one of global commons even though it is governed by a regime that admits only a small number of nations and therefore is technically an international commons. It also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of the book.
