Socializing States: Promoting Human Rights through International LawThe role of international law in global politics is as poorly understood as it is important. But how can the international legal regime encourage states to respect human rights? Given that international law lacks a centralized enforcement mechanism, it is not obvious how this law matters at all, and how it might change the behavior or preferences of state actors. In Socializing States, Ryan Goodman and Derek Jinks contend that what is needed is a greater emphasis on the mechanisms of law's social influence--and the micro-processes that drive each mechanism. Such an emphasis would make clearer the micro-foundations of international law. This book argues for a greater specification and a more comprehensive inventory of how international law influences relevant actors to improve human rights conditions. Substantial empirical evidence suggests three conceptually distinct mechanisms whereby states and institutions might influence the behavior of other states: material inducement, persuasion, and what Goodman and Jinks call acculturation. The latter includes social and cognitive forces such as mimicry, status maximization, prestige, and identification. The book argues that (1) acculturation is a conceptually distinct, empirically documented social process through which state behavior is influenced; and (2) acculturation-based approaches might occasion a rethinking of fundamental regime design problems in human rights law. This exercise not only allows for reexamination of policy debates in human rights law; it also provides a conceptual framework for assessing the costs and benefits of various design principles. While acculturation is not necessarily the most important or most desirable approach to promoting human rights, a better understanding of all three mechanisms is a necessary first step in the development of an integrated theory of international law's influence. Socializing States provides the critical framework to improve our understanding of how norms operate in international society, and thereby improve the capacity of global and domestic institutions to build cultures of human rights, |
Contents
E Outline of the Book | |
A Theory of Influence | |
The Theoretical Model | |
The Empirical Record | |
B Human Rights Studies | |
Objections and Clarifications | |
Applications for International Human Rights | |
Socialization | |
Problems and Prospects of State | |
of Acculturation | |
Civil SocietyNGOs | |
Toward an Integrated Model of State Socialization | |
Targeting Capacity and Target Actor | |
Taking Stock and Future Research | |
Bibliography | |
Other editions - View all
Socializing States: Promoting Human Rights through International Law Ryan Goodman,Derek Jinks Limited preview - 2013 |
Socializing States: Promoting Human Rights Through International Law Ryan Goodman,Derek Jinks Limited preview - 2013 |
Socializing States: Promoting Human Rights through International Law Ryan Goodman,Derek Jinks No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
acculturation adoption analysis Anne-Marie Slaughter approach Barsoom Beckfield behavior Boli Cambridge University Press chapter Chayes and Chayes cognitive commitments compliance conformity constitutional convergence countries cultural customary international law decoupling Derek Jinks diffusion discussing domestic Doug McAdam Duncan Snidal economic effects empirical emulation environmental evidence ex ante example explain formal Frank Geoffrey Garrett Goodman and Jinks Hafner-Burton Hironaka human rights law human rights norms human rights regimes human rights treaties IGOs important INGO institutionalized institutions interactions International Criminal Court international human rights International Law international legal International Organization intrinsic motivation isomorphism Kathryn Sikkink legitimacy legitimated material inducement McAdam mechanisms of social membership rules Meyer motivated network effects organizational patterns persuasion practices precision Promoting Human Rights Ramirez regime design regional relevant Schofer Sikkink Simmons social influence Sociological specific state’s strategies structural studies substantial suggest target actors theory transnational violations women’s