Dr. Damian Boldt presents "Shaming and Compliance with Human Rights Norms"

Damian Boldt, Postdoctoral Research Associate with the National Security Data and Politicy Institute at the University of Virginia, gave a talk on his research in progress on shaming and compliance with human rights norms. Abstract below.

When countries name and shame does this generate a backlash and lead to greater public support for governments accused of violent repression? I argue that this is not the case; instead, shaming can reduce support for repressive governments by increasing the public’s anger toward their government. Using a preregistered survey experiment in the Philippines, I find that shaming reduces public support for the government and human rights abuses. These findings hold among individuals with high levels of national attachment, a group previously thought to be prone to a backlash effect. Shaming's effect on anger, in particular anger toward the government, appears to play an important mediating role. Furthermore, there is little evidence that exposure to shaming increases the public’s belief that there will be internationally imposed costs, a mechanism frequently identified in prior research. Taken together, this study suggests that shaming can be an effective tool for human rights diplomacy.

Warm thanks to Dr. Boldt for visiting William & Mary. We look forward to seeing the published book in the future!

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