Research Methods in Human Rights: A Handbook: Second Edition(Handbooks of Research Methods in Law series)

In this thoroughly revised second edition, editors Bård A. Andreassen, Claire Methven O’Brien and Hans-Otto Sano continue to advance current discussions on human rights research methodology, bringing together an array of leading scholars to offer instruction and guidance on different approaches to the subject area. Research Methods in Human Rights bridges the methodological deficit that is often compounded by the interdisciplinary nature of human rights research, providing an up-to-date assessment of the topic. New chapters include discussions of comparative human rights law, qualitative methods of data generation and analysis, methodological challenges facing human rights-based approaches, and the impact of new and emerging digital technologies. Crucially, the book effectively explores the complexities which arise when conducting human rights research at the crossroads of different academic disciplines, and puts forward an agenda for best practice. Offering a contemporary overview of this ever-evolving subject, this Research Handbook will be an excellent reference tool for academics, researchers and students in human rights, law and development, public international law and development studies. Given the recent prominence of human rights discourse at both national and international levels, this book will also be of great benefit to human rights practitioners and policy-makers.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Preface xii 1 Introduction to Research Methods in Human Rights: approaches and trends in human rights methodology and methods 1 Bård A. Andreassen, Claire Methven O’Brien and Hans-Otto Sano PART I HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH AND LEGAL APPROACHES 2 Legal methodologies and human rights legal research: challenges and opportunities 13 Siobhán McInerney-Lankford 3 Comparative human rights law 37 Michael Riegner 4 Studying human rights in plural legal contexts: an exploration of water laws in Zimbabwe 57 Anne Hellum PART II HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH IN SOCIAL SCIENCE AND THE HUMANITIES 5 Comparative analyses and institutional pluralism in human rights research 79 Bård A. Andreassen 6 Economics and human rights 100 Edward Anderson 7 From the normative to the transnational: methods in the study of human rights history 119 Steven L. B. Jensen and Roland Burke 8 The potential of ethnographic methods for human rights research 137 Sally Engle Merry PART III QUALITATIVE METHODS IN HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH 9 Qualitative methods of data generation and analysis 151 Edzia Carvalho 10 Inside the organization: methods of researching human rights and organizational dynamics 178 Hans-Otto Sano and Tomas Max Martin PART IV QUANTITATIVE METHODS IN HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH 11 Quantitative methods in advocacy-oriented human rights research 201 Margaret Satterthwaite and Daniel Kacinski 12 A comparative assessment of composite measures of human rights performance 223 Annie Watson, Matthew Rains, Stephen Bagwell, and K. Chad Clay 13 Social network analysis in human rights research 247 Anna-Luise Chané and Arjun Sharma PART V CHALLENGES AND PRACTICES IN HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH 14 Research ethics for human rights researchers 267 George Ulrich 15 Mixed methods in human rights 290 Malcolm Langford 16 Human rights-based approaches: methodological challenges 319 Wouter Vandenhole 17 Researching the human rights impact of new and emerging digital technologies 337 Lorna McGregor 18 Assessing work at the intersection of health and human rights: why, how and who? 360 Laura Ferguson

About the Author :
Edited by Bård A. Andreassen, Professor, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Norway, Claire Methven O’Brien, Reader in Law, School of Law, University of Dundee, UK and Hans-Otto Sano, Senior Researcher, Emeritus, Danish Institute for Human Rights, Denmark

Review :
‘The expert contributions represent critical and reflective assessments of how to research human rights. The book discusses different disciplinary perspectives, including law, economics, history, political science and ethnography. In a global setting where major social challenges require multidisciplinary responses, the book is especially welcome for the careful presentation and exploration of different disciplinary perspectives, qualitative, quantitative and mixed approaches. The contributors offer helpful discussions of the nuances and complexities within each approach. Revised and with welcome new chapters covering critical issues such as comparative human rights and the impact of digital technologies, this remains an essential work for any reading list on human rights.’ ‘This book highlights the rapid development in Human Rights research methods: the first edition was published in 2017, and now the editors have found it valuable not only to update but also to revise most of the chapters. The first edition quickly became the go-to resource for understanding human rights research methodology. The new edition adds further depth to the evolution of human rights research methodology and will therefore contribute significantly to the consolidation of insights of scholars and students working in the field.’ Acclaim for previous edition: ‘Research Methods in Human Rights presents a fascinating overview of the various disciplinary ways of approaching human rights. It has helped me to reassess and scrutinise my own predispositions and approaches towards legal research and will certainly be a useful companion for new and established researchers from all disciplines relevant to the field.’ ‘The expert contributions represent critical and reflective assessments of how to research human rights. The volume discusses different disciplinary perspectives, including law, economics, history, political science and ethnography. In a global setting where major social challenges require multidisciplinary responses, the volume is especially welcome for the careful presentation and exploration of different disciplinary perspectives but also interdisciplinary methodology. The contributors offer helpful discussions of the nuances and complexities within each approach. An essential work for any reading list on human rights.’ ‘This book contributes to bringing human rights research out of its infancy. Having matured over three decades, it is high time to raise the discussion on its methodology to a new level. With its roots in legal studies, human rights research today embraces a much wider range of disciplines. Offering a profound, interdisciplinary analysis, this book offers the reader a deepened understanding across many fields. It will soon be a classic in higher education and research institutions.’