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Global Human Rights and State Sovereignty: State Ratification of International Human Rights Treaties, 1965–2001 1
Author(s) -
Wotipka Christine Min,
Tsutsui Kiyoteru
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
sociological forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.937
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1573-7861
pISSN - 0884-8971
DOI - 10.1111/j.1573-7861.2008.00092.x
Subject(s) - ratification , human rights , sovereignty , normative , argument (complex analysis) , law , international human rights law , political science , state (computer science) , international law , convention , international relations , sociology , law and economics , politics , biochemistry , chemistry , algorithm , computer science
This research seeks to understand the factors that lead nation‐states to ratify international human rights treaties in the contemporary world, despite their potential cost for state sovereignty. We argue that normative pressure from international society, along with historical contingencies during the Cold War, encouraged many states to ratify these treaties. We present an event‐history analysis of ratification of seven key international human rights treaties in 164 countries in the period between 1965 and 2001. The results lend support to the world society argument as well as to our historical argument and also specify that normative pressure and imitation have been important factors shaping states’ decisions to ratify international human rights treaties.