TY - JOUR PY - 2007// TI - Good Things to Those Who Wait? National Elections and Government Respect for Human Rights JO - Journal of peace research A1 - Richards, D. L. A1 - Gelleny, R. D. SP - 505 EP - 523 VL - 44 IS - 4 N2 - What exactly is it about democracy that enables it to protect human rights? As part of the research program addressing that important question, this article examines the relationship between democratic national legislative and presidential elections and government respect for human rights in over 100 countries from 1981 to 2000. Both presidential (direct and semi-presidential) and lower-house national legislative elections are found to be reliably associated with greater government respect for human rights, but only in the years following an election and not in election years themselves. Interestingly, national legislative elections were found to be associated with greater government respect for human rights, while presidential elections were associated with less respect for human rights. Consequently, the authors caution that the historically popular concept of electoralism (the use of elections alone as a proxy for full democracy) is unlikely to play a positive part in any policy intending to protect human rights.

LA - SN - 0022-3433 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022343307078946 ID - ref1 ER -