This book explores when, why, and how regional organizations adopt and design institutions to promote and protect fundamental standards of democracy, human rights, and rule of law in their member states. These regional institutions have spread globally. While their institutional designs have become increasingly similar over time, regional particularities persist. The book identifies factors that generate the demand for regional institutions and shape its institutional design. The argument combines hitherto juxtaposed explanatory factors of demands and diffusion by integrating them in a single framework and clarifying under what conditions the interplay between demands and diffusion plays out in the adoption and design of regional institutions. The book provides a comprehensive overview of regional democracy, human rights, and rule of law institutions based on two original datasets and draws on multivariate statistical analysis as well as case studies on the making and change of regional institutions in the Organization of American States and the Organization of African Unity/African Union.
Author(s): Sören Stapel
Series: Governance and Limited Statehood
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 361
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction
The Puzzle
The Argument
The Research Design
The Implications
Organization of the Book
References
2 Explaining the Adoption and Design of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions
Conceptualizing Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions
Regional Organizations
Regional Institutions
Adoption and Design of Regional Institutions
Standards
Instruments
Theoretical Explanations for the Adoption and Design of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions
Demand for Regional Institutions
Diffusion of Regional Institutions
The Interplay of Demands and Diffusion
Conclusion
References
3 Patterns of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions
The GTRO Data Sets
Selection of Organizations
Data Collection and Processing
Mapping the Adoption of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions
Mapping the Design of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions
Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions Over Time
Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions Across Geographic Regions
The Western Hemisphere
Europe
Africa
Asia
Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions Across Types of ROs
Continental Organizations
Sub-regional Organizations
Trans-regional Organizations
Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions Across Functions of ROs
Political Organizations
Economic and Welfare-Oriented Organizations
Security Organizations
Summary
References
4 Accounting for Variation in the Adoption and Design of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions: A Spatial Econometric Approach
Explaining the Adoption of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions
Operationalization of Variables
Dependent Variable
Independent Variables
Estimation and Results
Model Specification
Results of Estimation
Discussion of Results
Explaining the Design of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions: Scope and Strength
Operationalization of Variables
Dependent Variable
Independent Variables
Estimation and Results
Model Specification
Results of Estimation
Discussion of Results
Explaining the Design of Regional Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law Institutions: Similarity in Institutional Design
Operationalization of Variables
Dependent Variable
Independent Variables
Estimation and Results
Model Specification
Results of Estimation
Discussion of Results
Summary
References
5 The Organization of American States: Pioneering the Adoption and Design of Regional Institutions
Promoting and Protecting Democracy in the OAS: An Overview
From the OAS Charter to the Inter-American Democratic Charter: Tracing the Evolution of Regional Institutions in the OAS
Explaining the Evolution of Regional Institutions in the OAS
Conclusion
References
6 The Organization of African Unity and African Union: Following the Design of Reference Models
The Organization of African Unity (OAU) and African Union (AU)
From the Monrovia Declaration to the African Governance Architecture: Tracing the Adoption and Design of Regional Democracy and Rule of Law Institutions
Explaining the Evolution of Regional Institutions in the OAU/AU
Conclusion
References
7 Conclusion
The Spread of Increasingly Similar Regional Institutions
Demands, Diffusion, and Their Interplay
Implications
References
Appendix
References
Index
