Science and the Study of Human Rights
State University of New York Press
Will be published approx. on 1. September 2026
Book
Hardback
240 pages
979-8-8558-0869-8 (ISBN)
Description
Shows how to turn real-word human rights practices into comparable numbers, evaluates the barriers to improvement, and ranks countries of the world.
Science and the Study of Human Rights provides a clear, teachable framework for comparing human rights practices across countries and over time and for developing theories about why some governments violate rights more than others. The book explains why the scientific method offers a powerful approach to studying human rights and shows how systematic evidence can improve research, policy analysis, and public understanding. The authors introduce a wide range of publicly available human rights indicators, with particular attention to the CIRIGHTS Data Project, which three of the authors codirect. The book also offers a concise overview of other leading measurement efforts-including Freedom House, V-Dem, the Political Terror Scale (PTS), the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI), and SNARP-highlighting what each measures, where each excels, and where each has limitations. Designed for scholars, graduate students, governments, and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, this book will also be valuable to students, journalists, policymakers, and activists. By promoting a comparative perspective and the use of annually updated data, Science and the Study of Human Rights helps readers better understand states' obligations and supports the broader goal envisioned by the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: improving rights protection through knowledge and accountability.
Science and the Study of Human Rights provides a clear, teachable framework for comparing human rights practices across countries and over time and for developing theories about why some governments violate rights more than others. The book explains why the scientific method offers a powerful approach to studying human rights and shows how systematic evidence can improve research, policy analysis, and public understanding. The authors introduce a wide range of publicly available human rights indicators, with particular attention to the CIRIGHTS Data Project, which three of the authors codirect. The book also offers a concise overview of other leading measurement efforts-including Freedom House, V-Dem, the Political Terror Scale (PTS), the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI), and SNARP-highlighting what each measures, where each excels, and where each has limitations. Designed for scholars, graduate students, governments, and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, this book will also be valuable to students, journalists, policymakers, and activists. By promoting a comparative perspective and the use of annually updated data, Science and the Study of Human Rights helps readers better understand states' obligations and supports the broader goal envisioned by the drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: improving rights protection through knowledge and accountability.
Reviews / Votes
"The greatest strength of Science and the Study of Human Rights lies in its unique principal agent theoretical approach, which explains the differences in states' human rights practices and variations across different rights. This theoretical contribution to the literature on human rights makes the book stand out by pioneering future theoretical and empirical work in human rights research. I am particularly pleased with how the authors have avoided disciplinary jargon, making their arguments accessible to readers who are not trained in quantitative statistical analysis"-Horace Bartilow, American University School of International ServiceMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Albany, NY
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
13 Figures; 13 Tables, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
979-8-8558-0869-8 (9798855808698)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Skip Mark is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island and Director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. Ashlea Rundlett is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Master's in International Relations program at the University of Rhode Island. Mikhail Filippov is a Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University. David L. Cingranelli is a SUNY Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Binghamton University and Codirector of the Human Rights Institute.
Author
University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
SUNY at Binghamton
SUNY at Binghamton
Content
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One: Background and Theory
1. The International Human Rights Implementation Gap
2. Towards a Theory of Why Governments Protect Human Rights
Part Two: Measuring National Performance
3. What Measures of Human Rights Are Needed?
4. The Big Six Human Rights Scoring Projects
5. Who Has the Best Human Rights in the World?
6. Which Human Rights Are Most and Least Protected?
7. Overperformers and Underperformers
Part Three: Case Studies and Special Topics
8. Human Rights in the United States
9. Human Rights in Mexico
10. The Repression Information Paradox
11. Final Thoughts
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part One: Background and Theory
1. The International Human Rights Implementation Gap
2. Towards a Theory of Why Governments Protect Human Rights
Part Two: Measuring National Performance
3. What Measures of Human Rights Are Needed?
4. The Big Six Human Rights Scoring Projects
5. Who Has the Best Human Rights in the World?
6. Which Human Rights Are Most and Least Protected?
7. Overperformers and Underperformers
Part Three: Case Studies and Special Topics
8. Human Rights in the United States
9. Human Rights in Mexico
10. The Repression Information Paradox
11. Final Thoughts
Notes
Bibliography
Index