Human Rights Treaties and Comparative Law

Mathias M. Siems 

Durham University - Durham Law School; University of Cambridge - Centre for Business Research

March 27, 2015

Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, Vol. 171, pp. 118-121, 2015 

Abstract:    
This note comments on Mila Versteeg’s paper “Law versus Norms: The Impact of Human Rights Treaties on National Bills of Rights," available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2360814. Versteeg’s paper explores the relationship between international human rights treaties and domestic constitutions, using data on the adoption of 103 constitutional rights in 186 countries. This note suggests that this paper is an important contribution to international law and policy, quantitative and empirical legal research, and comparative law. The main comments will focus on the latter area of research and discuss the relationship between some of the paper’s findings and three frequent topics of contemporary comparative law.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 7

Keywords: comparative law, constitutions, international human rights treaties

Full text available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2586295