Between Contestation and Support: Explaining Elites' Confidence in the International Criminal Court

Nora Stappert*, Soetkin Verhaegen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has come under challenge in recent years as some countries have decided, or considered, to withdraw from it. Against this backdrop, an emerging literature has begun to examine attitudes toward the court among the general public as a key court constituency. However, little is known about how domestic elites perceive the court. This research gap is particularly surprising given that domestic elites have a considerable impact on both public and state support of the court. This article explains why political and societal elites across world regions have confidence or lack confidence in the ICC. We present the results from a unique survey of 722 elite respondents conducted from 2017 to 2019 across six countries: Brazil, Germany, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, and the United States. We furthermore enrich our analysis by using public opinion data to draw comparisons between elites and the general public. The analyses reveal that the views of elites are most consistently related to their perceptions of other, more well-known international organizations and their country's relationship with the ICC. Our findings indicate both similarities and differences between how elite and public opinion about the ICC are formed, demonstrating the value of further research on elite opinion on international courts.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)249-283
Number of pages35
JournalLaw and Social Inquiry-Journal of the American Bar Foundation
Volume50
Issue number1
Early online date23 Sept 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2025

Keywords

  • International Criminal Court
  • Elite Opinion
  • Public Opinion
  • PUBLIC-OPINION
  • EUROPEAN COURT
  • LEGITIMACY
  • INSTITUTIONS
  • JUSTICE
  • TRUST
  • ATTITUDES
  • IMPACT
  • UNION

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