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The Dissemination of International Liberal Norms: The Case of the ECHR and the UK

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2006

Kendall W. Stiles
Kendall W. Stiles
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University
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Abstract

Abstract. The dominant theory of international liberal norm-dissemination argues that states will tend to move from rejection of international norms to internationalization through gradual, predictable stages. The presumption is that the mass public consistently presses the state (in partnership with international norm carriers) for greater liberalization. This theory is shown to have serious weaknesses when applied to mature democracies. A study of the UK's response to adverse rulings from the European Court of Human Rights indicates that policy elites respond differently depending on the norm, the security context and public opinion. Further, the public does not consistently advocate liberalization, but sometimes the reverse.

Résumé. Une théorie principale sur la propagation des normes libérales internationales avance que les États ne passent que graduellement du rejet des normes internationales à leur adoption, en passant par plusieurs étapes prévisibles. Elles présument que le grand public (en conjonction avec les créateurs des normes internationales) exerce des pressions continuelles sur les États pour plus de libertés civiques. En fait, cette théorie n'explique pas l'évolution des attitudes vis-à-vis les libertés civiques dans les démocraties avancées. Une étude du Royaume-Uni, par exemple, démontre que, lorsque la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme dénonce une violation de la Convention, les élites politiques réagissent différemment en fonction de la norme en cause, des questions de sécurité et de l'opinion publique. En outre, le public n'est pas toujours en faveur de la libéralisation, au contraire.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 39 , Issue 1 , March 2006 , pp. 135 - 158
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

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