The relevance of law in human rights protection

Relatively little empirical research on the protection of human rights cons iders the significance of legal rules and institutions, This article examin es the effects of legal institutions on the general protection of political rights and on the protection of one discrete right-freedom from unreasonab le search and seizure. A cross-sectional analysis reveals that legal instit utions, and in particular judicial independence, are significant in protect ing human rights, The significance remains even when extralegal variables, such as wealth, are considered. The presence of an explicit constitutional protection against unreasonable search and seizure does not have an indepen dently significant effect on human rights but does affect the manner in whi ch rights are protected. (C) 1999 by Elsevier Science Inc.