This book, first published in 2002, considers why states often use transboundary resources inefficiently, looking ahead to potential resolutions.

Introduction; 1. The need for collective action in the management of transboundary resources; 2. States as collective actors; 3. The transnational conflict paradigm: structural failures and responses; 4. Transnational institutions for transboundary ecosystem management: defining the tasks and the constraints; 5. The structure and procedure of institutions for transboundary ecosystem management; 6. The development of positive international law on transboundary ecosystems: a critical analysis; 7. Efficiency, custom, and the evolution of the law; 8. Conclusion.

Eyal Benvenisti is Hersch Lauterpacht Professor of International Law and Director of the Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.