Thomas Risse is Professor of International Politics at the Freie Universität Berlin. Stephen C. Ropp is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Wyoming and an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Political Science and International Relations (SPSIS) at the University of Queensland, Australia. Kathryn Sikkink is a Regents Professor and the McKnight Presidential Chair in Political Science at the University of Minnesota.

'A superb collection of essays epitomizing the new wave of human rights scholarship that is more evaluative, inter-disciplinary, quantitative, critical and engaged. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how, when and why the international human rights system works (and doesn't work).' Philip G. Alston, John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law, New York University

• Part I. Introduction and Stock-Taking: 1. Introduction and overview Thomas Risse and Stephen C. Ropp; 2. The power of human rights a decade after: from euphoria to contestation? Anja Jetschke and Andrea Liese; 3. From ratification to compliance: quantitative evidence on the spiral model Beth A. Simmons; Part II. Conceptual and Methodological Issues: 4. Human rights in areas of limited statehood: the new agenda Tanja A. Börzel and Thomas Risse; 5. The 'compliance gap' and the efficacy of international human rights institutions Xinyuan Dai; 6. Social mechanisms to promote international human rights: complementary or contradictory? Ryan Goodman and Derek Jinks; Part III. From Ratification to Compliance: States Revisited: 7. The normative context of human rights criticism: treaty ratification and UN mechanisms Ann Marie Clark; 8. The United States and torture: does the spiral model work? Kathryn Sikkink; 9. Resisting the power of human rights: the People's Republic of China Katrin Kinzelbach; 10. The 'Arab Spring' and the spiral model: Tunisia and Morocco Vera van Hüllen; Part IV. From Commitment to Compliance: Companies, Rebel, Individuals: 11. Encouraging greater compliance: local networks and the United Nations Global Compact Wagaki Mwangi, Lothar Rieth and Hans Peter Schmitz; 12. Business and human rights: how corporate norm violators become norm entrepreneurs Nicole Deitelhoff and Klaus Dieter Wolf; 13. Taming of the warlords: commitment and compliance by armed opposition groups in civil wars Hyeran Jo and Katherine Bryant; 14. Changing hearts and minds: sexual politics and human rights Alison Brysk; 15. Conclusions Thomas Risse and Kathryn Sikkink.