Sonia Cardenas is Associate Academic Dean and Professor of Political Science at Trinity College and author of Human Rights in Latin America: A Politics of Terror and Hope and Conflict and Compliance: State Responses to International Human Rights Pressure, both available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

"Chains of Justice is an excellent account of the emergence and diffusion of national human rights institutions. Broad in its historical and geographical sweep, Cardenas's book plumbs fundamental processes of comparative and international politics to explain the global diffusion of 'horizontal self-regulation' of human rights. Her case studies vividly illustrate the fundamental trade-off many states are willing to make: good-faith self-restraint in exchange for muted external criticism. This is a gem of a book: deep, moving, and utterly persuasive." (Beth Simmons, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University) "Chains of Justice accomplishes multiple astonishing feats. It is a must read for scholars and practitioners alike. It is accessible to newcomers to the study of national human rights institutions and, at the same time, significantly advances the knowledge of experts who have been closely examining these institutions for years. The book is packed with insights into the political conditions for creating and strengthening national institutions and the potential of these organizations to shape interactions between states and civil society. Sonia Cardenas proves, once again, that she is at the forefront of research on the origins and influence of these important institutions of accountability." (Ryan Goodman, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Professor of Law, Professor of Politics, and Professor of Sociology, New York University)

• Chapter 1. The Self-Restraining State?Chapter 2. Historical LinkagesChapter 3. Tracking Global DiffusionChapter 4. The Logic of Strategic EmulationChapter 5. Trendsetters and Early Adopters, pre-1990Chapter 6. Democratization Scripts and Bandwagoning in AfricaChapter 7. Transitional Myths and Everyday Politics in the AmericasChapter 8. Appeasement via Localization in the Asia PacificChapter 9. Membership Rites and Statehood in the New EuropeChapter 10. How Accountability Institutions MatterChapter 11. Adaptive States: Making and Breaking International LawNotesIndexAcknowledgments

Sonia Cardenas is Associate Academic Dean and Professor of Political Science at Trinity College and author of Human Rights in Latin America: A Politics of Terror and Hope and Conflict and Compliance: State Responses to International Human Rights Pressure, both available from the University of Pennsylvania Press.

"Chains of Justice is an excellent account of the emergence and diffusion of national human rights institutions. Broad in its historical and geographical sweep, Cardenas's book plumbs fundamental processes of comparative and international politics to explain the global diffusion of 'horizontal self-regulation' of human rights. Her case studies vividly illustrate the fundamental trade-off many states are willing to make: good-faith self-restraint in exchange for muted external criticism. This is a gem of a book: deep, moving, and utterly persuasive." (Beth Simmons, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University) "Chains of Justice accomplishes multiple astonishing feats. It is a must read for scholars and practitioners alike. It is accessible to newcomers to the study of national human rights institutions and, at the same time, significantly advances the knowledge of experts who have been closely examining these institutions for years. The book is packed with insights into the political conditions for creating and strengthening national institutions and the potential of these organizations to shape interactions between states and civil society. Sonia Cardenas proves, once again, that she is at the forefront of research on the origins and influence of these important institutions of accountability." (Ryan Goodman, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Professor of Law, Professor of Politics, and Professor of Sociology, New York University)

• Chapter 1. The Self-Restraining State?Chapter 2. Historical LinkagesChapter 3. Tracking Global DiffusionChapter 4. The Logic of Strategic EmulationChapter 5. Trendsetters and Early Adopters, pre-1990Chapter 6. Democratization Scripts and Bandwagoning in AfricaChapter 7. Transitional Myths and Everyday Politics in the AmericasChapter 8. Appeasement via Localization in the Asia PacificChapter 9. Membership Rites and Statehood in the New EuropeChapter 10. How Accountability Institutions MatterChapter 11. Adaptive States: Making and Breaking International LawNotesIndexAcknowledgments