BLACK BOX. Donors, Activists, and the Global Spread of Human Rights

We cordially invite you to the next session of our workshop series on Authoritarian Politics and International Relations at WZB! Álvaro Morcillo Laiz will talk about a new project titled "BLACK BOX. Donors, Activists, and the Global Spread of Human Rights". Since the 1970s, philanthropic foundations and aid agencies have donated significant amounts of money to activists and courts for the worldwide defense of human rights. Even if donor-recipient relations are a well-established topic in International Relations, we still know very little as to why donors give to human rights organizations and how this affects recipients. How timely these questions are is apparent from both the growing size and clout of tech magnates’ philanthropies and from how populists in Europe assail human rights activists. BLACK BOX is the first research project that sets its sight on donors’ impact on the global legal order. A draft paper can be sent on request.

The seminar series aims at bringing together scholars from Comparative Politics and International Relations. We invite papers combining comparative authoritarianism and IR, as well as contributions that help clarify important theoretical concepts and empirical patterns in either discipline. Colleagues interested in presenting in the workshop series should email Alex Tokhi (alexandros.tokhi [at] wzb.eu) or Alex Schmotz (alexander.schmotz [at] wzb.eu).

When: Once a month on a Tuesday afternoon (see dates below)

Where: WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Reichpietschufer 50, 10785 Berlin, Room A305

What: A classic format: 90 minute research seminar with one paper presentation (15 min), one discussant (10), and plenty of time for Q&A

Who: All scholars from WZB and the Berlin area and anyone interested in authoritarian politics and/or international relations

The next sessions you can find here.

Organized by Alexandros Tokhi (Department Global Governance) and Alexander Schmotz (Department of Democracy & Democratisation)