Rhetoric and reality : international organizations, sovereignty costs, and human rights / Emilie M. Hafner-Burton, Edward D. Mansfield and Jon C.W. Pevehouse

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hafner-Burton, Emilie, author.

Mansfield, Edward D., 1962- author.

Pevehouse, Jon C., author.

Series:

Cambridge elements. Elements in international relations

Cambridge elements. Elements in international relations, 2515-706X

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human rights.

International agencies.

international organizations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026

Summary:

"The number of international human rights institutions and countries participating in them has risen dramatically in recent decades, precipitating debates about why countries make such commitments and whether these commitments improve member's human rights behavior. These debates have centered on a small number of human rights treaties, with far less attention paid to the larger number of international organizations (IOs) that aim to promote human rights. The Element argues and then demonstrates that state decisions about joining these IOs depends on the institutional design of the organizations, specifically sovereignty costs for member states. These costs stem from the constraints that IOs impose and vary substantially. Emerging democracies are most likely to enter high sovereignty cost IOs. Furthermore, organizations that generate higher sovereignty costs tend to produce better human rights outcomes than those generating fewer sovereignty costs for all regimes"-- Cambridge Core

Contents:

Membership in international human rights organizations

International organizations and sovereignty costs

Intergovernmental organizations and human rights behavior

Data on human rights sovereignty costs

Predicting membership in international human rights organizations

The effect of high sovereignty costs on behavior

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Cambridge Core, viewed July 20, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Hafner-Burton, Emilie Rhetoric and reality

ISBN:

9781009638128

1009638122

9781009638111

1009638114

OCLC:

1579846927

Publisher Number:

CIPO000352874

CIPO000355771

Access Restriction:

Some versions: Open access versions available from some providers open access