Understanding variations in OPEC members' cooperation levels using international cooperation theories

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was established for the purpose of allowing its members to act collectively. However, the history of OPEC reveals that the members have experienced wide variations in their ability to act collectively. Over its entire history, OPEC members have sometimes been able to cooperate fully with each other, other times they have not and sometimes they have only been able to achieve intermediate levels of cooperation. This dissertation attempts to explain this variation in OPEC members' cooperation levels.;To do this, the dissertation employs the vast international relations literature on international cooperation. The international cooperation literature puts forth several hypotheses for when, why and how international cooperation among states is possible or impossible. Furthermore, the hypotheses put forth by this literature locate the influence and/or explanation for cooperation and non-cooperation at different levels of analysis. The dissertation presents the different hypotheses, operationalizes them and tests them on the case of OPEC (1960--1994) to see which of the numerous hypotheses provide leverage in understanding and accounting for variations in OPEC members' cooperation levels.;The dissertation reveals that for the most part the hypotheses put forth by the international cooperation literature do provide leverage in understanding and accounting for variations in OPEC members' cooperation levels. Especially, when compared to extant studies of OPEC, who skirt the issue of what factors affect cooperation within OPEC completely. However, the dissertation also reveals several weaknesses in the hypotheses as they are presently presented by their proponents.;For certain hypotheses, their effect on the probability of cooperation operate in ways not considered by their proponents. While not detracting from the validity and utility of the individual hypotheses, it is indicative of the fact that the hypotheses' affect cooperation in ways not considered by their proponents. The dissertation also revealed that the international cooperation literature needs to consider the ways in which the different hypotheses interact within and across levels of analysis to mitigate or amplify the effects of each other. Finally, the dissertation revealed that for certain hypotheses considerations of different forms of cooperation maybe appropriate if there true effects on the probability of cooperation is to be understood. The pursuit of these avenues will not only lead to a better understanding of variations in OPEC members' cooperation levels but would also strengthen the international cooperation literature.