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Full-Text Articles in Human Rights Law
Treaty Options: Towards A Behavioral Understanding Of Treaty Design, Jean Galbraith
Treaty Options: Towards A Behavioral Understanding Of Treaty Design, Jean Galbraith
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Rational choice theory is the dominant paradigm through which scholars of international law and international relations approach treaty design. In this Article, I suggest a different approach using a combination of empirical observations of state behavior and theoretical insights from behavioral economics. I focus on one aspect of multilateral treaty design: namely, treaty reservations and associated legal mechanisms which allow states to vary the degree of their formal commitments to treaties. I call these mechanisms “treaty options.” I argue that the framing of treaty options matters powerfully — and does so in ways inconsistent with rational choice theory, but consistent …
Getting To Rights: Treaty Ratification, Constitutional Convergence, And Human Rights Practice, Zachary Elkins, Tom Ginsburg, Beth A. Simmons
Getting To Rights: Treaty Ratification, Constitutional Convergence, And Human Rights Practice, Zachary Elkins, Tom Ginsburg, Beth A. Simmons
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This Article examines the adoption of rights in national constitutions in the post-World War II period in light of claims of global convergence. Using a comprehensive database on the contents of the world’s constitutions, we observe a qualified convergence on the content of rights. Nearly every single right has increased in prevalence since its introduction, but very few are close to universal. We show that international rights documents, starting with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have shaped the rights menu of national constitutions in powerful ways. These covenants appear to coordinate the behavior of domestic drafters, whether or not …