Introduction to Sociology/Human Rights

Research Examples

Recent research suggests that one key element in predicting societal instability is a "democracy gap." In countries where the populace have expectations for higher levels of political freedoms than they actually have, there are greater odds of revolutions and riots, like those that began in the Arab Spring in 2010. This suggests a growing awareness of human rights and political freedoms around the world, including in authoritarian and dictatorial countries.