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"Legalizing human rights and democracy: Comparing the EU, OAS and CE"

Hawkins, Darren and Joachim, Jutta. (2003) "Legalizing human rights and democracy: Comparing the EU, OAS and CE". In: UNSPECIFIED, Nashville, TN. (Unpublished)

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    Abstract

    States have increased their international commitments to human rights and democracy norms by legalizing them in prominent regional organizations such as the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the Organization of American States. In these organizations, human rights and democracy norms have become increasingly obligatory through binding legal documents and increasingly precise through the development of new treaties and case law. Additionally, states have delegated substantial oversight authority for human rights and democracy issues to IOs. We explain this development by arguing that interests provide state motives, that decreasing security threats and other events provide opportunities to act, and that preexisting norms help determine which principles will be subject to higher levels of legalization. In particular, states have functional interests in more credible commitments and principled interests in human rights, democratic social groups have interests in binding the hands of more authoritarian groups, and IOs have interests in increasing their authority. We find, however, that systemic opportunities and preexisting norms are more powerful explanations of legalization across multiple cases than those various motives.

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    Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
    Uncontrolled Keywords: Organization of American States (OAS).
    Subjects for non-EU documents: EU policies and themes > External relations > EU-US
    Other international institutions > Council of Europe
    EU policies and themes > External relations > human rights & democracy initiatives
    EU policies and themes > External relations > EU-Latin America
    Subjects for EU documents: UNSPECIFIED
    EU Series and Periodicals: UNSPECIFIED
    EU Annual Reports: UNSPECIFIED
    Conference: European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2003 (8th), March 27-29, 2003
    Depositing User: Phil Wilkin
    Official EU Document: No
    Language: English
    Date Deposited: 22 Feb 2005
    Page Range: p. 37
    Last Modified: 15 Feb 2011 17:24
    URI: http://aei.pitt.edu/id/eprint/2875

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