Abstract:

The number of states committed to the international human rights institutions -whether an international organization or treaty- has increased in recent years. This upsurge has led scholars to examine what motivates states to join these institutions designed to constraint them on how to treat their own citizens. Existing studies have argued that states engaged in democratic transition are more likely to commit to the international human rights institutions because they want to credibly signal their resolution to follow democratic rules and international norms. Yet, much less attention has been paid to factors that motivate states to the commit to the 1951 Geneva Convention that imposes restrictions on how to approach refugees. In this study, I discuss that democratizing states are more likely to participate in the 1951 Geneva Convention that is a costly decision to show their commitment to democratic reforms.

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