Regional patterns of multilateral treaty cooperation: Is there a Latin American ‘commitment gap’?

Latin American states have long been active participants in multilateral treaty making. However, the rich history of Latin American legal activism contrasts with debates about the degree to which these states commit to international agreements. We probe the existence of this purported ‘commitment ga...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational political science review Vol. 44; no. 3; pp. 316 - 333
Main Authors Schulz, Carsten-Andreas, Levick, Laura
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.06.2023
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Commitment
Cooperation
International cooperation
Multilateralism
Ratification
Regional variations
Regions
State
Treaties
Treaties ratification
Latin America
commitment
legalism
Multilateral treaties
Latin America
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Summary:Latin American states have long been active participants in multilateral treaty making. However, the rich history of Latin American legal activism contrasts with debates about the degree to which these states commit to international agreements. We probe the existence of this purported ‘commitment gap’ by analyzing the signing and ratification of multilateral treaties. Are Latin American states less likely to ratify agreements they have signed than states from other world regions? Using survival analysis of an original dataset on multilateral treaties deposited with the UN Secretary-General, we find no difference between Latin America and North America/Europe in terms of ratification. If a commitment gap exists, it appears to be more evident in other regions, particularly East Asia, Africa, and the Anglo-Caribbean. To the extent that there is a ‘commitment gap’ at the regional level in Latin America, it is unlikely to be due to country-level factors such as domestic institutions.
ISSN:0192-5121
1460-373X
DOI:10.1177/01925121211036417