Replication Data for: Death Penalty Abolition and the Ratification of the Second Optional Protocol, International Journal of Human Rights, 12 (1), 2009, pp. 3-21

This article analyses which factors promote or hinder ratification by nation states of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the only universal treaty aimed at the abolition of the death penalty. The study finds that a democratic regime, a left-wing oriented government, regional peer influence, and a high level of economic development speed up ratification. A legal system built on common law and, if less robustly, ethnic fractionalisation lower the likelihood of ratification. These results are compared to the determinants of domestic death penalty abolition. Besides similarities, one striking difference is that Eastern European country membership in the Council of Europe has been important for domestic abolition, but has had no influence on ratification of the Second Optional Protocol. Western European countries exerted pressure on Eastern European countries to abolish the death penalty, but did not extend their pressure towards a ratification of the Second Protocol. Also, whereas economic development does not matter for domestic abolition, an internationally binding commitment to abolition becomes more likely the richer the country.

本研究旨在剖析推动或阻碍主权国家批准《〈公民权利和政治权利国际公约〉第二任择议定书（Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights）》的各类因素——该议定书是目前唯一旨在废除死刑的全球性条约。研究发现，民主政体、左翼导向政府、区域同伴影响以及较高的经济发展水平会加速该议定书的批准进程；而以普通法系（common law）为基础的法律体系，以及（影响程度相对较弱的）族群分化程度，则会降低缔约国批准该议定书的可能性。
本研究还将上述结论与国内废除死刑的影响因素进行了对比分析。除共性特征外，一项显著差异在于：东欧国家加入欧洲委员会（Council of Europe）对其国内废除死刑具有重要推动作用，但对该国批准该议定书并无显著影响。西欧国家曾向东欧国家施压以推动其废除死刑，但并未将施压范围延伸至推动其批准该第二任择议定书。此外，尽管经济发展水平对一国国内废除死刑并无显著影响，但国家越富裕，其做出具有国际约束力的废除死刑承诺的可能性就越高。