How Does Shaming Human Rights Violators Shape Attitudes at Home?

• In Event: Domestic Politics and War

Abstract

Does shaming human rights violators shape attitudes at home? A growing literature studies the effect of shaming on public attitudes in the target state, but far less is known about its effect in countries initiating the criticism, i.e. the shamers. In this article, I theorize that when governments shame human rights violators they shape both government approval and human rights attitudes at home. I provide evidence for my theory in three studies -- two survey experiments in the U.S. and a cross-national observational analysis. My research reveals several findings. First, citizens are more likely to approve of their government when it shames human rights violators. Second, citizens perceive their country as more respectful of human rights when their government shames other countries. At the same time, however, building on moral licensing theory, I show that shaming increases tolerance of domestic violations of human rights. My findings emphasize the mixed consequences of shaming, which are beneficial for governments but have troubling implications for the human rights movement.

Author

• Lotem Bassan-Nygate, Harvard University