The Legitimacy of International Human Rights Regimes: Legal, Political and Philosophical Perspectives

The past sixty years have seen an expansion of international human rights conventions and supervisory organs, not least in Europe. While these international legal instruments have enlarged their mandate, they have also faced opposition and criticism from political actors at the state level, even in well-functioning democracies. Against the backdrop of such contestations, this book brings together prominent scholars in law, political philosophy and international relations in order to address the legitimacy of international human rights regimes as a theoretically challenging and politically salient case of international authority. It provides a unique and thorough overview of the legitimacy problems involved in the global governance of human rights.

Andreas Føllesdal is Professor of Political Philosophy at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Norway.

Johan Karlsson Schaffer is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Norway.

Geir Ulfstein is Professor of International Law at the Department of Public and International Law, University of Oslo, Norway.