There is
agreement over these empirical phenomena, but the approach includes a diverse
set of theoretical and methodological orientations. While there is no theoretical
consensus, there has been wide adherence to a ‘standard’ definition of regimes
as ‘sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules and decision-making
procedures around which actors’ expectations converge in a given area of
international relations’ (Krasner, 1983, p. 2). This very broad conception of
regimes includes the endpoints as well as the vast middle ground between
formal organizations and broader ordering principles in international relations.