David Richards

Uses an original survey to both ascertain US citizens’ attitudes about the use of torture, and to begin to explore why they have these views. Takes this information to construct the Torture Acceptability Index (TAI) to measure individuals’ overall level of acceptance of torture.

States a conceptual and empirical examination of the consequences of the normative gap in international law addressing violence against women and girls.  Finds the domestic normative gap complicit in higher levels of domestic violence, higher rape prevalence, higher female HIV rates, lower human development, and higher acceptance of violence against women and girls.

Provides information about government respect for a broad array of human rights in nearly every country in the world. Covers 26 years, 15 separate human rights practices, and 195 countries, it is one of the largest human rights data sets in the world.  Gives an overview of the CIRI project and our response to some critiques of the CIRI physical integrity rights index.

Explores the strength of laws addressing four types of violence against women--rape, marital rape, domestic violence, and sexual harassment--in 196 countries from 2007 to 2010. Analyzes why these laws exist in some places and not others, and why they are stronger or weaker in places where they do exist.

Reviews the relationship between democratic national legislative and presidential elections and government respect for human rights in over 100 countries from 1981 to 2000.

Examines the relationship between women’s status and economic globalization. Discusses the expectations of both proponents and skeptics of globalization are discussed with regard to women’s status, and a series of statistical examinations of this relationship are performed using data on 130 countries.