The regional dimension in promoting human rights and the rule of law in new democracies: The police case in Ecuador and Poland.

Hanashiro, Olaya (2010) The regional dimension in promoting human rights and the rule of law in new democracies: The police case in Ecuador and Poland. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Abstract

The democratisation process experienced by third wave countries demonstrates the complexity of the relationship between democracy and human rights. The incompleteness of the legal state reveals some interconnectedness between democratisation and human rights protection, which this research explores in order to understand how countries starting democratisation in similar political and civil rights conditions ended up with different civil citizenships and control of the security apparatus in their new democracies. In debate with Modernisation theory, this research argues the importance of political factors and a legal state for the expansion of civil citizenship. As much as socioeconomic indicators and the development of a welfare state impact human rights, the possibility of their violation is embedded in the laws and practices inherited from non-democratic regimes and political dynamics that reproduce them. At the same time, in a debate with Transition theories, this work emphasises the potential impact of regional factors in the democratisation process and the relevance of reintroducing geopolitical elements to the discussion. The regional dimension presents different categories of influence. In order to identify regional factors related to the democratic aspects discussed here, this research focuses on regional mechanisms for promoting human rights and the rule of law, as well as on the regional cooperation or assistance related to law enforcement areas, most specifically to the police institution. Through a comparative analysis of the police in Ecuador and Poland, this research discusses: (1) the relationship between the agents of the security apparatus and ordinary citizens; (2) the domestic and regional institutional network that regulates and controls the lawlessness of their activities; and (3) regional environments that promote changes or constrain attempts toward their democratisation. In summary, this research aims to verify whether or not the regional dimension has impacted the democratic salience of the rule of law and human rights in the democratisation process.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Political Science, General
Sets:	Collections > ProQuest Etheses Departments > Government
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/2395

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