Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b6zl4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-27T04:33:17.533Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

International Nongovernmental Organizations and the Global Diffusion of National Human Rights Institutions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2013

Dongwook Kim
Dongwook Kim*
Affiliation:
Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

During the past three decades national human rights institutions (NHRIs) have spread to more than one hundred United Nations (UN) member states and become key to human rights enforcement and democratic accountability. Given that NHRIs can take on a life of their own even under adverse conditions, why do governments in the developing world create permanent, independent national bodies with statutory powers to promote and protect human rights? Human rights international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) are crucial for global diffusion. They empower local actors and influence governments in favor of NHRI adoption by mediating the human rights and NHRI discourses and mobilizing shame internationally. An event history analysis offers robust evidence that controlling for the UN, regional organizations, and other rival factors, human rights INGOs have systematic positive effects on diffusion. The case studies of South Korea and Malaysia provide process-tracing evidence that the hypothesized causal mechanisms are operative.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Organization , Volume 67 , Issue 3 , July 2013 , pp. 505 - 539
Copyright
Copyright © The IO Foundation 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achen, Christopher H. 2005. Let's Put Garbage-Can Regressions and Garbage-Can Probits Where They Belong. Conflict Management and Peace Science 22 (4):327–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amnesty International (AI). 1993. Proposed Standards for National Human Rights Commissions. IOR 40/01/93. London: AI. Available at ⟨http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/IOR40/001/1993/en⟩. Accessed 6 August 2008.Google Scholar
Amnesty International (AI). 1997. South Korea: A Human Rights Agenda for the Presidential Election: Open Letter to All Candidates. ASA 25/32/97, 16 October 1997. London: AI. Available at ⟨http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/ASA25/032/1997/en⟩. Accessed 4 January 2012.Google Scholar
Amnesty International (AI). 1998. Republic of Korea (South Korea): Legislation to Establish Human Rights Commission Is Seriously Flawed. ASA 25/37/1998, 23 October 1998. London: AI. Available at ⟨http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/IOR40/001/1993/en⟩. Accessed 22 June 2008.Google Scholar
Amnesty International (AI). n.d. Anwar Ibrahim: The Campaign for the Release of a Prisoner of Conscience. Hong Kong, China: AI Asia Pacific Regional Office. Available at ⟨http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/apro/aproweb.nsf/pages/goodnewsAnwarIbrahim⟩. Accessed 12 May 2009.Google Scholar
Bartels, Lorand. 2005. Human Rights Conditionality in the EU's International Agreements. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berry, Frances Stokes, and Berry, William D.. 1999. Innovation and Diffusion Models in Policy Research. In Theories of the Policy Process, edited by Sabatier, Paul A., 169–200. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Bob, Clifford. 2005. The Marketing of Rebellion: Insurgents, Media, and International Activism. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bob, Clifford, ed. 2009. The International Struggle for New Human Rights. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boli, John, and Thomas, George M., eds. 1999. Constructing World Culture: International Nongovernmental Organizations Since 1875. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Botcheva, Liliana, and Martin, Lisa L.. 2001. Institutional Effects on State Behavior: Convergence and Divergence. International Studies Quarterly 45 (1):1–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Box-Steffensmeier, Janet M., and Jones, Bradford S.. 2004. Event History Modeling: A Guide for Social Scientists. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, Smith, Alastair, Siverson, Randolph M., and Morrow, James D.. 2003. The Logic of Political Survival. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carpenter, R. Charli. 2007. Studying Issue (Non)-Adoption in Transnational Advocacy Networks. International Organization 61 (3):643–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cmiel, Kenneth. 1999. The Emergence of Human Rights Politics in the United States. Journal of American History 86 (3):1231–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dai, Xinyuan. 2007. International Institutions and National Policies. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodson, Michael, and Jackson, Donald. 2004. Horizontal Accountability in Transitional Democracies: The Human Rights Ombudsman in El Salvador and Guatemala. Latin American Politics and Society 46 (4):1–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finnemore, Martha. 1993. International Organizations as Teachers of Norms: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and Science Policy. International Organization 47 (4):565–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finnemore, Martha, and Sikkink, Kathryn. 1998. International Norm Dynamics and Political Change. International Organization 52 (4):887–917.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franklin, James C. 2008. Shame on You: The Impact of Human Rights Criticism on Political Repression in Latin America. International Studies Quarterly 52 (1):187–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibney, Mark, Cornett, Linda, and Wood, Reed. 2010. Political Terror Scale 1976–2009. Available at ⟨http://www.politicalterrorscale.org⟩. Accessed 28 December 2010.Google Scholar
Gleditsch, Kristian Skrede. 2008. Modified Polity P4 and P4D Data Version 3.0. Available at ⟨http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~ksg/polity.html⟩. Accessed 10 April 2010.Google Scholar
Hafner-Burton, Emilie. 2005. Trading Human Rights: How Preferential Trade Agreements Influence Government Repression. International Organization 59 (3):593–629.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hafner-Burton, Emilie, Tsutsui, Kiyoteru, and Meyer, John W.. 2008. International Human Rights Law and the Politics of Legitimation: Repressive States and Human Rights Treaties. International Sociology 23 (1):115–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heston, Alan, Summers, Robert, and Aten, Bettina. 2009. Penn World Table Version 6.3. Philadelphia: Center for International Comparisons of Production, Income and Prices, University of Pennsylvania. Available at ⟨https://pwt.sas.upenn.edu/php_site/pwt_index.php⟩. Accessed 14 August 2010.Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1990. Human Rights in Mexico: A Policy of Impunity. New York: HRW Americas Watch. Available at ⟨http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/Mexico906.pdf⟩. Accessed 31 August 2006.Google Scholar
Human Rights Watch (HRW). 1998. Human Rights Watch on Malaysia: It's Not Just the Trial. New York: HRW. Available at ⟨http://www.hrw.org/en/news/1998/11/01/human-rights-watch-malaysia-its-not-just-trial⟩. Accessed 12 May 2009.Google Scholar
International Council on Human Rights Policy and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. 2005. Assessing the Effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions. Versoix, Switzerland: International Council on Human Rights Policy.Google Scholar
Joachim, Jutta. 2003. Framing Issues and Seizing Opportunities: The UN, NGOs, and Women's Rights. International Studies Quarterly 47 (2):247–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keng, Chiam Heng. 2001. Human Rights Commission—The Malaysian Scenario. FOCUS 26. Available at ⟨http://www.hurights.or.jp/asia-pacific/no_26/04malaysia.htm⟩. Accessed 22 June 2008.Google Scholar
Lake, David A., and Wong, Wendy H.. 2009. The Politics of Networks: Interests, Power, and Human Rights Norms. In Networked Politics: Agency, Power, and Governance, edited by Kahler, Miles, 127–50. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Landman, Todd. 2005. Protecting Human Rights: A Comparative Study. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
Lecy, Jesse D., Mitchell, George E., and Schmitz, Hans Peter. 2010. Advocacy Organizations, Networks, and the Firm Analogy. In Advocacy Organizations and Collective Action, edited by Prakash, Aseem and Gugerty, Mary Kay, 229–51. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marshall, Monty G., and Jaggers, Keith. 2010. Polity IV Project: Political Regime Characteristics and Transitions, 1800–2009. Dataset User's Manual. College Park: University of Maryland. Available at ⟨http://www.systemicpeace.org/inscr/p4manualv2009.pdf⟩. Accessed 30 April 2010.Google Scholar
Merry, Sally Engle. 2006. Human Rights and Gender Violence: Translating International Law into Local Justice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Meyer, John W., Boli, John, Thomas, George M., and Ramirez, Francisco O.. 1997. World Society and the Nation-State. American Journal of Sociology 103 (1):144–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murdie, Amanda, and Bhasin, Tavishi. 2011. Aiding and Abetting: Human Rights INGOs and Domestic Protest. Journal of Conflict Resolution 55 (2):163–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pevehouse, Jon C. 2005. Democracy from Above: Regional Organizations and Democratization. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pohjolainen, Anna-Elina. 2006. The Evolution of National Human Rights Institutions: The Role of the United Nations. Copenhagen, Denmark: Danish Institute for Human Rights.Google Scholar
Ramcharan, Bertrand G. 1989. The Concept and Present Status of the International Protection of Human Rights: Forty Years After the Universal Declaration. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Risse, Thomas, Ropp, Stephen C., and Sikkink, Kathryn, eds. 1999. The Power of Human Rights: International Norms and Domestic Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rodio, Emily B., and Schmitz, Hans Peter. 2010. Beyond Norms and Interests: Understanding the Evolution of Transnational Human Rights Activism. International Journal of Human Rights 14 (3):442–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ron, James, Ramos, Howard, and Rodgers, Kathleen. 2005. Transnational Information Politics: NGO Human Rights Reporting, 1986–2000. International Studies Quarterly 49 (3):557–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roth, Kenneth. 2000. Human Rights Organizations: A New Force for Social Change. In Realizing Human Rights: Moving from Inspiration to Impact, edited by Power, Samantha and Allison, Graham, 225–48. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roth, Kenneth. 2004. Defending Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Practical Issues Faced by an International Human Rights Organization. Human Rights Quarterly 26 (1):63–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubenstein, Leonard S. 2004. How International Human Rights Organizations Can Advance Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights: A Response to Kenneth Roth. Human Rights Quarterly 26 (4):845–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schedler, Andreas, Diamond, Larry, and Plattner, Marc F., eds. 1999. The Self-Restraining State: Power and Accountability in New Democracies. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simmons, Beth A. 2009. Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, Jackie. 2002. Globalization and Transnational Social Movement Organizations. Paper presented at the conference on Struggles and Settlements in Organizations and Movements, May, Ann Arbor, Mich.Google Scholar
Smith, Jackie, Pagnucco, Ron, and Lopez, George A.. 1998. Globalizing Human Rights: The Work of Transnational Human Rights NGOs in the 1990s. Human Rights Quarterly 20 (2):379–412.Google Scholar
Tarrow, Sidney. 2005. The New Transnational Activism. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thakur, Ramesh. 1994. Human Rights: Amnesty International and the United Nations. Journal of Peace Research 31 (2):143–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Union of International Associations. Various years. Yearbook of International Organizations. Munich, Germany: K.G. Saur Verlag.Google Scholar
United Nations. 1993. Fact Sheet No. 19, National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations. Available at ⟨http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/FactSheet19en.pdf⟩. Accessed 22 June 2008.Google Scholar
United Nations Center for Human Rights. 1995. National Human Rights Institutions: A Handbook on the Establishment and Strengthening of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. Professional Training Series No. 4. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations. Available at ⟨http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/training4en.pdf⟩. Accessed 24 August 2006.Google Scholar
United Nations Economic and Social Council. 1992. Further Promotion and Encouragement of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, including the Question of the Programme and Methods of Work of the Commission. National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, Report by the Secretariat. E/CN.4/1992/43/Add.1. New York: United Nations. Available at ⟨http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=E/CN.4/1992/43/Add.1⟩. Accessed 21 August 2006.Google Scholar
United Nations General Assembly. 2002. Strengthening of the United Nations: An Agenda for Further Change: Report of the Secretary General. A/57/387. New York: United Nations. Available at ⟨http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/57/387⟩. Accessed 22 July 2008.Google Scholar
United Nations General Assembly. Various years. Advisory Services and Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights: Report of the Secretary-General. New York: United Nations.Google Scholar
Vreeland, James Raymond. 2008. Political Institutions and Human Rights: Why Dictatorships Enter into the United Nations Convention Against Torture. International Organization 62 (1):65–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiseberg, Laurie S. 2003. The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the Protection and Enforcement of Human Rights. In Human Rights: International Protection, Monitoring, Enforcement, edited by Symonides, Janusz, 347–72. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate.Google Scholar
Wong, Wendy H. 2012. Becoming a Household Name: How Human Rights NGOs Establish Credibility Through Organizational Structure. In The Credibility of Transnational NGOs: When Virtue Is Not Enough, edited by Gourevitch, Peter A., Lake, David A., and Stein, Janice Gross, 86–111. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Dongwook Kim Supplementary Material

Appendix

Download Dongwook Kim Supplementary Material(PDF)
PDF 77 KB