The Impact of International Institutions at the Domestic Level: the Irish Abortion Law

In an even more globalised world, the role of international institutions has become both increasingly important and controversial. The rise of global governance also has an impact for governance at the domestic level as many issues are decided, at least partly, at the international level. The question is, then, how great is this influence of international institutions at the domestic level? This thesis will explore this topic by doing a case study analysis that focuses on a specific issue, the Irish abortion law. The case study will focus on three instances in which Irish women sued the Irish state in the international courts for the suffering that the strict abortion law had caused them. The research question that will be used is ‘How did international institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union influence the abortion law in Ireland?’. This thesis’ hypothesis is that the executive power of international institutions at the domestic level is limited. Instead, the...Show moreIn an even more globalised world, the role of international institutions has become both increasingly important and controversial. The rise of global governance also has an impact for governance at the domestic level as many issues are decided, at least partly, at the international level. The question is, then, how great is this influence of international institutions at the domestic level? This thesis will explore this topic by doing a case study analysis that focuses on a specific issue, the Irish abortion law. The case study will focus on three instances in which Irish women sued the Irish state in the international courts for the suffering that the strict abortion law had caused them. The research question that will be used is ‘How did international institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union influence the abortion law in Ireland?’. This thesis’ hypothesis is that the executive power of international institutions at the domestic level is limited. Instead, the influence that international institutions have mainly flows from their ability to set international norms and standards. Through a qualitative document analysis of official court documents, court rulings, reports, and news articles, the impact of international institutions on the Irish abortion has been explored. Previous research on the practical impact of UN treaties and the concept of ‘soft power’ have been used as the foundation for the research. The main research findings are that the international institutions’ impact at the domestic level varies per domestic issue and context. Further, the hypothesis was correct in that the international institution’s involvement in the issue was considered legitimate due to its use of soft power. The final conclusion was that for the Irish abortion law specifically, an interplay of both international and domestic factors were needed for a change to be brought about.Show less

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The Impact of International Institutions at the Domestic Level: the Irish Abortion Law