The Impact of Trade Network Vulnerability on Human Rights Violations

Abstract

A large literature has analyzed the effect of international trade on human rights violations, but their empirical results have been inconsistent. This is because their theories have focused primarily on how international trade affect domestic repressions costs while they have paid attention little to international audience costs. Also, their measurements generally capture a part of the effect of international trade on human rights violations. Thus, this study focuses on how a state’s international trade affects international audience costs. To answer this research question, this study suggests trade network vulnerability, a state’s strategic vulnerability in the international trade network incurred by its international trade, and argues that an increase in a state’s trade network vulnerability increases international audience costs and thus promotes the level of its respect for human rights. To measure trade network vulnerability and test the hypothesis, this study employs closeness centrality in weighted networks. Empirical results support these hypotheses.