Overview

"When considering the structures that drive the global diffusion of human rights norms, Brian Greenhill argues that we need to look beyond institutions that are explicitly committed to human rights and instead focus on the dense web of international government organizations (IGOs)-some big, some small; some focused on human rights; some not-that has arisen in the last two generations. While most of these organizations have no direct connection to human rights issues, their participation in broader IGO networks has important implications for the human rights practices of their member states. Featuring a rigorous empirical analysis, Transmitting Rights shows that countries tend to adopt similar human rights practices to those of their IGO partners, whether for better or worse. Greenhill argues that IGOs constitute a tightly-woven fabric of ties between states and that this network provides an important channel through which states can influence the behavior of others. Indeed, his analysis suggests that a policy of isolating ""rogue"" states is probably self-defeating given that this will reduce their exposure to some of the more positive IGO-based influences on their human rights. Greenhill's analysis of the role of IGOs in rights diffusion will not only increase our understanding of the international politics of human rights; it will also reshape how we think about the role of international institutions in world politics."

Full Product Details

Author:   Brian Greenhill (Assistant Professor of Political Science, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Dartmouth College)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint:   Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 23.10cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 15.50cm
Weight:   0.272kg
ISBN:  

9780190271640

ISBN 10:   0190271647
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   07 January 2016
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Tables List of Figures 1 Introduction 1.1 Globalization and Human Rights 1.2 IGOs: Some Background 1.3 IGOs as Norm Transmitters 1.4 Empirical Strategy (and plan for the book) 2 Networks of Influence 2.1 Stage 1: Establishing the human rights culture of the IGO 2.2 Stage 2: Defining the IGO context of the state 2.3 Stage 3: Internalizing the Norms 2.4 Next steps: Collecting evidence of diffusion 3 Demonstrating Diffusion 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The Data 3.3 Results 3.4 A Detailed Drill-Down 3.5 Taking Stock 4 State and IGO Characteristics 4.1 Shaping the Human Rights Culture 4.2 IGO Characteristics 4.3 Receiver Effects 4.4 Discussion 5 Gay Rights and Women's Rights 5.1 Variation among Rights 5.2 Data and Methods 5.3 Results 5.4 Discussion 6 Cause or Effect? 6.1 Introduction 6.2 IGOs and human rights conditions 6.3 Methods 6.4 Results 6.5 Discussion 7 Conclusions 7.1 Lessons Learned 7.2 Implications for IR Theory A Methods Appendix A.1 Diffusion Simulations A.2 Cross-Validation

Reviews

Brian Greenhill makes an important contribution to the study of international governmental organizations by considering how the entire network of IGOs to which states belong can impact their human rights behavior. ... Transmitting Rights is extraordinarily clearly written and effectively organized, making it accessible to a wide range of audiences. This is the sort of thing that is often overlooked in considering the merits of scholarly work, but it should not be. The book was genuinely a pleasure to read. * Perspectives on Politics *

Brian Greenhill shows that it takes a network of IGOs to transmit human rights norms internationally. This is a sophisticated contribution that challenges accounts of norm transmission that rely on a few powerful actors, such as the US or the EU. Greenhill also challenges the World Society tradition, which tallies memberships and meetings, but fails to account for the broader organizational ecology in which individual intergovernmental organizations are situated. Economically written and persuasively supported, this is an example of the cutting edge in diffusion studies today. -Beth A. Simmons, Harvard University This book is a much-needed investigation of the ways in which the variety of international institutions influence human rights practices around the world. Greenhill's findings are important for the study of human rights and the networks of international actors who attempt to advance them. -Jon Pevehouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison Transmitting Rights is one of the most important new books in a long time on international, governmentally-run, human rights organizations. These organizations, growing in number, now create networks among states that can influence how governments behave, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. States in these organizations learn from the actions of their peers, and this learning effect can have both positive and deleterious consequences for human rights-a finding that puts into sharp relief the optimism expressed by so many scholars that the proliferation of international organizations is a good thing, and that universal membership in these organizations should be a bedrock of international law. -Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, University of California-San Diego Very few scholars can pull off the high-wire act that Brian Greenhill exhibits so gracefully in his latest work. Nothing could be more important than the fulfillment of human rights and very little more mystifying than the veritable alphabet soup of international organizations in existence today. Greenhill shows that that these 'clubs' have absorbed and diffused a human rights norm that profoundly shapes the behavior of their member states. Along the way, we are drawn into the nuances of everything from Bahrain's decision making to the enforcement of gay rights. It's a masterful study and a must-read for human rights' scholars, or anyone with the least bit of intellectual curiosity. - Zachary Elkins, University of Texas-Austin Brian Greenhill shows that it takes a network of IGOs to transmit human rights norms internationally. This is a sophisticated contribution that challenges accounts of norm transmission that rely on a few powerful actors, such as the US or the EU. Greenhill also challenges the World Society tradition, which tallies memberships and meetings, but fails to account for the broader organizational ecology in which individual intergovernmental organizations are situated. Economically written and persuasively supported, this is an example of the cutting edge in diffusion studies today. -Beth A. Simmons, Harvard University This book is a much-needed investigation of the ways in which the variety of international institutions influence human rights practices around the world. Greenhill's findings are important for the study of human rights and the networks of international actors who attempt to advance them. -Jon Pevehouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison Transmitting Rights is one of the most important new books in a long time on international, governmentally-run, human rights organizations. These organizations, growing in number, now create networks among states that can influence how governments behave, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. States in these organizations learn from the actions of their peers, and this learning effect can have both positive and deleterious consequences for human rights-a finding that puts into sharp relief the optimism expressed by so many scholars that the proliferation of international organizations is a good thing, and that universal membership in these organizations should be a bedrock of international law. -Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, University of California-San Diego Very few scholars can pull off the high-wire act that Brian Greenhill exhibits so gracefully in his latest work. Nothing could be more important than the fulfillment of human rights and very little more mystifying than the veritable alphabet soup of international organizations in existence today. Greenhill shows that that these 'clubs' have absorbed and diffused a human rights norm that profoundly shapes the behavior of their member states. Along the way, we are drawn into the nuances of everything from Bahrain's decision making to the enforcement of gay rights. It's a masterful study and a must-read for human rights' scholars, or anyone with the least bit of intellectual curiosity. - Zachary Elkins, University of Texas-Austin

Brian Greenhill shows that it takes a network of IGOs to transmit human rights norms internationally. This is a sophisticated contribution that challenges accounts of norm transmission that rely on a few powerful actors, such as the US or the EU. Greenhill also challenges the World Society tradition, which tallies memberships and meetings, but fails to account for the broader organizational ecology in which individual intergovernmental organizations are situated. Economically written and persuasively supported, this is an example of the cutting edge in diffusion studies today. -Beth A. Simmons, Harvard University This book is a much-needed investigation of the ways in which the variety of international institutions influence human rights practices around the world. Greenhill's findings are important for the study of human rights and the networks of international actors who attempt to advance them. -Jon Pevehouse, University of Wisconsin-Madison Transmitting Rights is one of the most important new books in a long time on international, governmentally-run, human rights organizations. These organizations, growing in number, now create networks among states that can influence how governments behave, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. States in these organizations learn from the actions of their peers, and this learning effect can have both positive and deleterious consequences for human rights-a finding that puts into sharp relief the optimism expressed by so many scholars that the proliferation of international organizations is a good thing, and that universal membership in these organizations should be a bedrock of international law. -Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, University of California-San Diego Very few scholars can pull off the high-wire act that Brian Greenhill exhibits so gracefully in his latest work. Nothing could be more important than the fulfillment of human rights and very little more mystifying than the veritable alphabet soup of international organizations in existence today. Greenhill shows that that these 'clubs' have absorbed and diffused a human rights norm that profoundly shapes the behavior of their member states. Along the way, we are drawn into the nuances of everything from Bahrain's decision making to the enforcement of gay rights. It's a masterful study and a must-read for human rights' scholars, or anyone with the least bit of intellectual curiosity. - Zachary Elkins, University of Texas-Austin

Author Information

Brian Greenhill is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College. His primary research interest is in the effects that economic globalization and the continuing development of international institutions have on the development of human rights practices. At Dartmouth he teaches courses on human rights, globalization, international institutions and quantitative methods.

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