American Journal of Political Science· 2014Q1
Politics by Number: Indicators as Social Pressure in International Relations
- 417citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Disseminating numerical indicators of state behavior, like the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report, exerts social power and influences policy, leading countries to criminalize human trafficking when included or placed on a watch list.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Numerical indicators of state behavior can be used as a tool of social power in international governance.
- The U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report demonstrates that inclusion or watch list placement increases a country's likelihood of criminalizing human trafficking.
- Widespread and instant dissemination of these indicators enables ranking, comparison, and censure of states.
- This mechanism has broad implications for international governance and the exercise of soft power.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The ability to monitor state behavior has become a critical tool of international governance. Systematic monitoring allows for the creation of numerical indicators that can be used to rank, compare, and essentially censure states. This article argues that the ability to disseminate such numerical indicators widely and instantly constitutes an exercise of social power, with the potential to change important policy outputs. It explores this argument in the context of the United States’ efforts to combat trafficking in persons and find evidence that monitoring has important effects: Countries are more likely to criminalize human trafficking when they are included in the U.S. annual Trafficking in Persons Report, and countries that are placed on a “watch list” are also more likely to criminalize. These findings have broad implications for international governance and the exercise of soft power in the global information age.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. American Journal of Political Science, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Development
DevelopmentSocial Sciences