Justice and Compliance: Explaining the Effectiveness of International Regimes

Non-compliance has shown itself to often lead to regime crises. This project investigates the connection between justice and compliance. Is non-compliance the result of unsatisfied justice claims on the part of an actor? Does compliance improve under a regime if principles of justice are respected? Which other factors have an effect on compliance?

The project combines various methods of analysis in a mixed-method design. First, a quantitative study assesses whether procedural or substantial justice claims are considered in the processes, and results, of negotiating regimes in the areas of arms control/nonproliferation, sanctions by the United Nations, human rights protection, and counter-terrorism and how these correlate to subsequent compliance with regulations. A qualitative study then investigates the extent to which unsatisfied or satisfied justice claims affect compliance on the part of states. The cases shall be selected in terms of variance within the compliance spectrum. Additionally, a further case study (in the area of arms control/nonproliferation) is meant to analyze the interrelations between (un-) fulfilled justice claims in thematically related regimes (of complex biological security, global health and patent rights) along with their influence on compliance.