Policy and Practice Research Lab 

Notre Dame Reparations Design and Compliance

PI's: Diane Desierto (law and global affairs), Aníbal Pérez-Liñán (political science and global affairs)
Jointly with the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights

The Notre Dame Reparations Design and Compliance Lab focuses on the question: Under what conditions do states comply with orders of international tribunals in cases involving human rights?

Led by Faculty Fellows Diane Desierto, a professor of law and global affairs in the Law school, with a joint appointment in the Keough School for Global Affairs, and Kellogg Director Aníbal Pérez-Liñán, a professor of political science and global affairs who holds a joint appointment in the Department of Political Science and the Keough School, the lab develops and tests methodologies to assess state compliance with reparative orders of international adjudication bodies, such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the World Bank Inspection Panel. The project will draw on quantitative and qualitative tools in political science and law to integrate teaching, research, and outreach.

The Reparations Lab (RL) is jointly funded by Kellogg and the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights, and will collaborate with external institutions on three goals:

  • Developing a research agenda around compliance with human rights measures
  • Training Notre Dame students and international legal scholars on methodologies to assess compliance
  • Collaborating with international adjudication bodies to produce reliable information and improve compliance patterns


The lab will enable scholars to conduct comparative research into the design and effectiveness of reparative judgments; orient the strategic framing of human rights reparations to facilitate stakeholders’ monitoring of state compliance with reparative measures; and to contribute to ongoing reform debates on the power and procedures of international human rights tribunals.

The Reparations Lab’s work is expected to produce a variety of publications,  several courses for the Keough School and the College of Arts and Letters, compliance reports for international tribunals, and at least two public databases on compliance with international courts.

 

Lab PI's: Diane Desierto (law and global affairs), Aníbal Pérez-Liñán (political science and global affairs)

Affiliates, Fall 2021 (by Project)
 

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
External affiliates: Mariana Brocca (Conicet, Argentina), Isabel Anayanssi Orizaga Inzunza (OHCHR)
Undergraduate students: Emma Ackerley, Emma Ryan

Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR)
External affiliates: Angie García Atehortúa
Graduate students: Nicolás Buitrago Rey (LLM), Paloma Núñez Fernández (LLM), Angélica Suárez Torres (LLM)
Undergraduate students: Shea Smith

Paraguay’s Compliance with Human Rights Reparations
External affiliates: Analía Bogado (Desarrollo Institute, Paraguay), José Molinas (Desarrollo Institute, Paraguay)
Undergraduate students: Madeline Soiney

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
Faculty affiliates: Emilia Justyna Powell, Political Science
Undergraduate students: Cullen Geahighan

World Bank Inspection Panel
Graduate students: Khawla Wakkaf (JSD), Anshu Raj Singh (LLM), Olivia Estes (Law)
Undergraduate students: Maura Brennan, Gabrielle Penna

Data Management
Undergraduate students: Tess Monahan

Affiliates, Summer 2021 (by Project)
 

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
External affiliates: Mariana Brocca (Conicet, Argentina), Isabel Anayanssi Orizaga Inzunza (OHCHR)
Undergraduate students: Emma Ackerley

Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR)
External affiliates: Angie García Atehortúa
Undergraduate students: Shea Smith

Paraguay’s Compliance with Human Rights Reparations
Graduate students: Railen Hernández Guatache
Undergraduate students: Madeline Soiney

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
Faculty affiliates: Emilia Justyna Powell, Political Science
Undergraduate students: Zachary Holland

World Bank Inspection Panel
Graduate students: Khawla Wakkaf (JSD), Patrick Giuliani (Law), Amanda Walsh (Law), Tinaishe Maramba (MGA)

Data Management
Undergraduate students: Tess Monahan

Affiliates, Spring 2021 (by Project)
 

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
External affiliates: Mariana Brocca (Conicet, Argentina), Isabel Anayanssi Orizaga Inzunza (OHCHR)
Undergraduate students: Emma Ackerley, Isabelle Grassel, Morgan McLaughlin, Margo Murphy, Sierra Stinson, Matt Carranza, Joseph Rice

Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR)
External affiliates: Angie García Atehortúa
Undergraduate students: Shea Smith

Paraguay’s Compliance with Human Rights Reparations
Graduate students: Railen Hernández Guatache (LLM)
Undergraduate students: Madeline Soiney

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
Faculty affiliates: Emilia Justyna Powell, Political Science
Undergraduate students: Zachary Holland, Emily Lugg, Jed Mariano, Emma Ziegler

World Bank Inspection Panel
Graduate students: Khawla Wakkaf (JSD), Jemimah Kolo (LLM), Rachel Gagnon (MGA), Belen Carriedo (MGA)
Undergraduate students: Maura Brennan

Data Management
Undergraduate students: Tess Monahan

Affiliates, Winter Session 2021 (by Project)

 
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
External affiliates: Mariana Brocca (Conicet, Argentina), Isabel Anayanssi Orizaga Inzunza (OHCHR), Francesca Parente (University of Pennsylvania)
Graduate students: Asha Mendis (LLM)
Undergraduate students: Emma Ackerley, Tess Monahan, Shea Smith

Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR)
External affiliates: Angie García Atehortúa (Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights, SAHR), Ana Olavarrieta Trejo

Paraguay’s Compliance with Human Rights Reparations
Graduate students: Railen Hernández Guatache (LLM)
Undergraduate students: Madeline Soiney

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
Faculty affiliates: Emilia Justyna Powell, Political Science
Undergraduate students: Cullen Geahighan, Clare Hillen, Brian Lemay, Emma Ziegler

World Bank Inspection Panel
Graduate students: Khawla Wakkaf (JSD), Jemimah Kolo (LLM), Rachel Gagnon (MGA), Belen Carriedo (MGA)
Undergraduate students: Maura Brennan, Megan Fahrney

 
Affiliates, Fall 2020 (by Project)

 
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
External affiliates: Mariana Brocca (Conicet, Argentina), Isabel Anayanssi Orizaga Inzunza (OHCHR), Francesca Parente (University of Pennsylvania)

Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR)
External affiliates: Angie García Atehortúa (Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights, SAHR)

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)
Faculty affiliates: Emilia Justyna Powell, Political Science
Undergraduate students: Brian Lemay, Clare Hillen, Emma Ziegler

World Bank Inspection Panel
Graduate students: Khawla Wakkaf (JSD), Rachel Gagnon (MGA), Belen Carriedo (MGA)
Undergraduate students: Maura Brennan

Affiliates, Summer 2020 (by Project)
 

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)
Graduate students: Mariana Brocca (LLM), Isabel Anayanssi Orizaga Inzunza (LLM)

 Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR)
Graduate students: Angie García Atehortúa (LLM)
Undergraduate students: Ana Olavarrieta Trejo

World Bank Inspection Panel
Graduate students: Khawla Wakkaf (JSD), Rachel Gagnon (MGA), Belen Carriedo (MGA)

Reports

 

  • SUMMARY OF THE EXPERT WORKSHOP —“Rethinking Compliance and Reparations in International Law”

  • ReportIACtHR2019.pdf:  In this document, we advance a methodological proposal to assess levels of compliance with decisions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The document presents historical trends, introduces the new methodology, and offers an analysis of 238 cases (1,782 reparation measures) decided by the Court by the end of 2018.

  • ReportIACtHR2020.pdf:  We registered actual dates of compliance for reparation measures ordered by the IACtHR, and compared them to the date of Court resolutions acknowledging compliance. The creation of the Supervision Unit in 2015 shortened the time between compliance and acknowledgment by several months. Analyses using the two dates differ slightly.

  • ReportIACtHR2020-2.pdf:  In this document, we analyze the effect of supervision hearings on state compliance with reparation measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR). Our study covers all reparation measures awaiting compliance between 2007 and 2019.

  • ReportCSJ2021.pdf: We estimate the time taken by Paraguay to comply with reparation measures resulting from friendly settlements in the Inter-American Human Rights System, reports on the merits issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and decisions of the Inter-American Court. Friendly settlements reduce time to compliance by 70% (in Spanish).

  • ReportWBIP2022.pdf: This report reviews existing works about the World Bank Inspection Panel: its mandate and competences, its fact-finding powers and accountability procedures, its relationship to the World Bank Group, and its effectiveness as an accountability mechanism.

Book Chapters
 
Papers
Articles
Video

Workshop: Rethinking Compliance and Reparations in International Law;  Monday, May 25, 2020

 

Inter-American Court of Human Rights: Reparations Dataset - Dec 1, 2021

Perez-Linan, Anibal; Olavarrieta Trejo, Ana; Smith, Shea, 2021, "Inter-American Court of Human Rights: Reparations Dataset", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/GQ1CAG

The dataset contains information on 281 cases decided by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights between 1989 and 2020. The units of analysis in the dataset are individual reparation measures ordered by the Court to a specific state (N = 1,994).

 


Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: Merits Reports Dataset - Dec 2, 2021

Perez-Linan, Anibal; Parente, Francesca; Brocca, Mariana; Orizaga Inzunza, Isabel Anayanssi, 2021, "IACHR Merits Reports Dataset", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/NQXMAX

This dataset covers all cases for which the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has published reports on the merits from 1992 to 2019. The units of analysis are recommendations issued in the reports. 

Upcoming Events

 

Peace and Solidarity: Dilemmas of the Evolution of International Law in an Age of Decoupling - Monday Oct 31, 2022 ⋅ 12:30 – 2pm EDT
A Book Presentation by Cecilia M. Bailliet, Professor Dr. jur. and Director of the Masters Program in International Law, University of Oslo

Latin America has been characterized as experiencing a "Long Peace" based on its tradition of respect for sovereignty, non-intervention, and territorial integrity constituting negative peace.  Nevertheless, the region is challenged by its failure to sustain positive peace (non-discrimination, equality, and social justice).  The richest 10% of the population control 54% of the national income.  The commodity based economy upholds hierarchical structures excluding minorities, indigenous, youth, and women.  There are violent attacks on human rights defenders and environmental activists which underscore diffuse authoritarianism, criminal governance, and re-securitization/militarization.  The persistent cycles of marginalization, protest, repression and internal violence amount to “unpeace”. The book explains the heterogeneous iterations of peace within Latin American constitutions as well as the pluralistic views of current and former judges in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. It argues that these national variants should be in accordance with the American Convention on Human Rights and related instruments as a minimum framework, and should be interpreted in pursuit of the pro homine principle, in which the most favorable law is applied to benefit individuals regardless of its origin or status. Professor Bailliet will present the aim of a sustainable gendered peace, promoted through innovative reparations orders by the Court and the engagement of civil society. Can Peace serve as a bridge between polarized groups in the region if interpreted within the UN Faith for Rights initiative?

Past Events

 

The Inter-American Human Rights System: Best Practices for Implementing IACHR Decisions (HYBRID) - Tuesday, December 7, 2021 - 6:00pm EDT

The Inter-American Human Rights System: Reparations Design and Compliance (HYBRID) - Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 6:00pm EDT

The Inter-American Human Rights System: Launch of Principles on Academic Freedom (HYBRID) - Thursday, December 9, 2021 - 6:00pm EDT

 

Paraguay: Capacidad estatal y cumplimiento con el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos (VIRTUAL) - Friday, December 10, 2021 - 9:00am 

Watch Video

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Bank: Reconstruction, Refugees, Fragility, and Accountability (VIRTUAL) - Thursday, November 11,  2021, 4:00pm EDT

The Structural Impact of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the Americas - Thursday, October 29, 2020, 4:00pm EDT

OFFERED VIRTUALLY! Workshop: Rethinking Compliance and Reparations in International Law - Monday, May 25, 2020,  10:30am - 12:30pm EDT 

News 

Nov. 11, 2020 - Desierto and Perez-Linan Write on the New World Bank Accountability Mechanism
Faculty Fellows Diane Desierto (human rights law and global affairs) and Aníbal Pérez-Liñán (political science and global affairs) are part of a collaborative team that authored an article on the European Journal of International Law's  EJIL:Talk!, a leading international law blog.

June 10, 2020: New Lab Holds Inaugural Workshop
The new Notre Dame Reparations Design and Compliance Lab (NDRL) convened more than 30 scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from leading institutions in international human rights law compliance last month for its inaugural workshop.

Nov. 5, 2019: Bridging Academia and Policy: New Kellogg Labs Promote Research, Policy Impact
The Kellogg Institute for International Studies is launching a major new effort that supports high-impact, high-yield research intended to have a tangible influence on policies and practices affecting democracy and human development.

 

Courses