Three theories of regime effectiveness are tested in the context of the CITES wildlife trade treaty. Technical management theory stresses the importance of state capacity, rule clarity, and transparency in efforts to solve international problems. Political management theory emphasizes strategies of persuasion, pressure, and provision of assistance in coping with global interdependence. Enforcement theory identifies problem structure, transparency, and sanctions as critical to regime success. All three models are evaluated by assessing their explanatory power in three historic cases of CITES regulation, the African ivory trade, African rhino horn trade, and African spotted cat fur trade. The results demonstrate the superiority of political management theory, which is able to account for events due to its practical orientation. In contrast, technical management theory is not supported by the evidence, largely as a result of its mechanical orientation, while enforcement theory is disconfirmed as a consequence of the inutility of sanctions.
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