Human rights matters : local politics and national human rights institutions / Julie A. Mertus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mertus, Julie, 1963-

Series:

Stanford studies in human rights

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human rights advocacy--Europe--Case studies.

Human rights advocacy.

Human rights--Europe--Case studies.

Human rights.

Europe--Politics and government--1989-.

Europe.

Politics and government.

Genre:

Case studies.

Physical Description:

xi, 223 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, [2009]

Summary:

Among human rights advocates, dominant wisdom holds that the promotion and protection of human rights relies not on international efforts but on domestic action. International institutions may capture news headlines, but it is the national groups that effectively shape local expectations and ultimately make human rights matter.

Through a series of case studies and an extensive range of interviews with the administrators and constituencies of national human rights institutions, Julie Mertus offers a close look at the day-to-day workings of these groups. She presents an unusual and lively set of European cases-examining Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, and Northern Ireland-to illustrate how local culture matters in promoting human rights.

But even with the obvious successes of these institutions, Mertus offers a cautionary tale. National institutions are incredibly difficult to design and operate, and they are only as good as the domestic political and economic factors will allow. It is too frequently seen that the countries most supportive of human rights on the world stage may prove to be highly disappointing back home

Contents:

Operationalizing human rights at the local level

"Opinion doctors" and "can openers" : Denmark's national human rights institution

"The hardest job I ever had" : Northern Ireland's human rights commission

Counting in threes : the human rights ombudsmen in Bosnia-Herzegovina

When less is more : considering the ombudsmen system in the Czech Republic

Straddling Checkpoint Charlie : the German Human Rights Institute.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [187]-210) and index.

ISBN:

9780804760935

0804760934

9780804760942

0804760942

OCLC:

236143220