Assessing the effectiveness of international courts

Are international courts effective tools for international governance? Do they fulfill the expectations that led to their creation and empowerment? Why do some courts appear to be more effective than others, and do so such appearances reflect reality? Could their results have been produced by other mechanisms? This book evaluates the effectiveness of international courts and tribunals by comparing their stated goals to the actual outcomes they achieve. Using a theoretical model borrowed from social science, the book assesses their effectiveness by analysing key empirical data.Its first part is dedicated to theory and methodology, laying out the effectiveness model, explaining its different components, its promise and limits, and discussing the measurement challenges it faces. The second part analyses the role that indicators such as jurisdiction, judicial independence, legitimacy, and compliance play in achieving effectiveness. Part three applies the effectiveness model to the International Court of Justice, the WTO dispute settlement mechanisms (panels and Appellate Body), the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and Yugoslavia, the European Court of Human Rights, and the European Court of Justice, reflecting the diversity of the field of international adjudication. Given the recent proliferation of international courts and tribunals, this book makes an important contribution towards understanding and measuring the value that these institutions provide.

• Table of Cases p. xiii
• Introduction p. 1
• Empirical Scholarship on International Courts p. 1
• Existing Definitions of Effectiveness p. 4
• Effectiveness as Attainment of the Mandate Providers' Goals p. 6
• The Books Contents p. 8
• I The Goal-Based Approach
• 1 A Goal-Based Approach to Effectiveness Analysis p. 13
• 1.1 The Goal-Based Approach p. 13
• 1.2 Goal Categories p. 17
• 1.3 The Problem of Goal Ambiguity p. 20
• 1.4 The Time-Frame Element p. 23
• 1.5 Goals v Motives p. 25
• 1.6 An Organization's Shared Goals p. 26
• 1.7 Broadening the Research Framework: Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness p. 27
• 1.8 Conclusions p. 29
• 2 The Goals of International Courts p. 31
• 2.1 Identifying a Key Constituency: The Mandate Providers p. 31
• 2.2 The Generic Goals of International Courts p. 37
• 2.3 Conclusions p. 48
• 3 Measuring Goal Attainment p. 49
• 3.1 Introduction p. 49
• 3.2 The Use of Operational Categories p. 50
• 3.3 Possible Performance Indicators p. 52
• 3.4 Conclusions p. 61
• II Application of the Goal-Based Approach to Judicial Functions and Features
• Introduction: The Analytical Promise of the Effectiveness Model p. 63
• 4 Jurisdictional Powers and Issues of Admissibility p. 67
• 4.1 The Concept of Jurisdiction p. 67
• 4.2 Goal Attainment and the Scope of Jurisdictional Powers p. 75
• 4.3 Issues of Admissibility p. 83
• 4.4 Policy Considerations in Decisions on Jurisdiction and Admissibility p. 87
• 4.5 Conclusion p. 94
• 5 Judicial Independence and Impartiality p. 97
• 5.1 Introduction p. 97
• 5.2 The Operative Role of Judicial Independence and Impartiality p. 99
• 5.3 The Relationship between Judicial Independence and Effectiveness p. 105
• 5.4 Constrained Independence in Action: ICTY v NATO, ICTR v Rwanda p. 111
• 5.5 Conclusion p. 115
• 6 Judgment-Compliance p. 117
• 6.1 Introduction p. 117
• 6.2 Judgments, Remedies, and Judicial Outcomes p. 119
• 6.3 Judgment-Compliance and the Goals of International Courts p. 123
• 6.4 Assessing ECtHR Judgment-Compliance p. 125
• 6.5 Compliance with ICJ Remedial Orders in the Bosnian Genocide and Avena cases p. 130
• 6.6 Conclusions p. 135
• 7 Legitimacy p. 137
• 7.1 Introduction p. 137
• 7.2 Different Understandings of Legitimacy p. 138
• 7.3 Operative Categories and the Legitimacy Capital p. 145
• 7.4 Links between Legitimacy and Other Key Functions and Features of Adjudication p. 150
• 7.5 Conclusions p. 157
• III Application of the Goal-Based Approach to Specific Courts
• 8 The International Court of Justice (with Rotem Giladi) p. 161
• 8.1 Introduction p. 161
• 8.2 The Goals of the ICJ p. 164
• 8.3 Factors Controlling Judicial Outcomes p. 169
• 8.4 Outcomes p. 180
• 8.5 Conclusions p. 187
• 9 The WTO Dispute Settlement System (with Sivan Shlomo-Agon) p. 189
• 9.1 Introduction p. 189
• 9.2 The Goals of the WTO Dispute Settlement System p. 191
• 9.3 Factors Controlling Judicial Outcomes p. 197
• 9.4 Judicial Outcomes p. 214
• 9.5 Conclusions p. 221
• 10 The International Criminal Court (with Sigall Horovitz and Gilad Noam) p. 223
• 10.1 Introduction p. 223
• 10.2 The Goals of the ICC p. 226
• 10.3 Factors Controlling Judicial Outcomes p. 237
• 10.4 Outcomes p. 248
• 10.5 Conclusions p. 252
• 11 The European Court of Human Rights (with Henry Lovat) p. 253
• 11.1 Introduction p. 253
• 11.2 The Goals of the ECtHR p. 256
• 11.3 Factors Controlling Judicial Outcomes p. 261
• 11.4 Outcomes p. 271
• 11.5 Conclusions p. 276
• 12 The Court of Justice of the European Union (with Thorbjörn Björnsson) p. 277
• 12.1 Introduction p. 277
• 12.2 The Goals of the CJEU p. 279
• 12.3 Factors Controlling Judicial Outcomes p. 288
• 12.4 Outcomes p. 302
• 12.5 Conclusions p. 305
• Conclusions p. 307
• Index p. 313