This book draws on key theories and methods from the social sciences to develop a framework for the systematic study of human rights problems. It argues that solid empirical analysis of human rights problems rests on examining the observable practices from state and non-state actors that constitute human rights violations to provide plausible explanations for their occurrence and provide deeper understanding of their meaning.

Such explanations and understanding draws on the theoretical insights from rational, structural and cultural approaches in the social sciences. This book includes:

• an outline of the scope of human rights
• the terrain of key actors that have an impact on human rights
• a summary of the social science theories, methods and measures for studying human rights
• a separate treatment of global comparative studies, truth commissions, and human rights impact assessment.

Studying Human Rights is the first book to use the synthesis of social sciences approaches to studying human rights and its quantitative and qualitative approach provides useful insights. This book makes a unique contribution to the existent literature on human rights and is an invaluable tool for both scholars and practitioners of this area.