The Rational Design Project is a very interesting research programme: the authors try to find and empirically test certain causes of different regime types. They succeed somewhat moderately in this, after analysing several case-studies, which comprise the bulk of the book.The book is an excellent read for graduate or post-graduate students of international relations, who are trying to specialize in regime-formation and are feeling affinity with the neoliberal institutionalist appraoch. A close read draws out an appreciation of the methodological issues involved. Students from the cognitivist and the realist strand of thought might find a lot to shoot at.In this sense, it is an essential read: it makes a good case, and a good argument. even though you can disagree with the conclusions, then still their way of analysing regimes is definitely worthwhile.