Explaining variations in treaty entry into force thresholds

Abstract

It is widely known that treaties have different stipulations on when they come into force. Unfortunately, current research on treaty design has offered no substantial explanation on why treaties have different entry into force (EIF) thresholds. I argue that variations in EIF thresholds are the result of the issue area of the treaty. Specifically, issue areas that face greater potential for collective action problems have the highest EIF threshold as a result of the rational design choice of states to protect themselves from free riders and strengthen the effectiveness of the treaty. I test my argument using original data from coding treaty EIF thresholds along four issue areas and on the EIF negotiations for the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.