Replication data for: Responding to Criticism: Non-Democratic States and Treaty Reservation Withdrawal (doi:10.7910/DVN/GURSZB)

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Part 1: Document Description
Part 2: Study Description
Part 3: Data Files Description
Part 4: Variable Description
Part 5: Other Study-Related Materials
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Document Description

Citation

Title:

Replication data for: Responding to Criticism: Non-Democratic States and Treaty Reservation Withdrawal

Identification Number:

doi:10.7910/DVN/GURSZB

Distributor:

Harvard Dataverse

Date of Distribution:

2026-02-28

Version:

Bibliographic Citation:

Zvobgo, Kelebogile; Shannon, Megan; Eldredge, Cody, 2026, "Replication data for: Responding to Criticism: Non-Democratic States and Treaty Reservation Withdrawal", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/GURSZB, Harvard Dataverse, V1, UNF:6:uoOLxxeBHn8ATH8QGe9q8A== [fileUNF]

Study Description

Citation

Title:

Replication data for: Responding to Criticism: Non-Democratic States and Treaty Reservation Withdrawal

Identification Number:

doi:10.7910/DVN/GURSZB

Authoring Entity:

Zvobgo, Kelebogile (https://ror.org/03hsf0573)

Shannon, Megan (https://ror.org/02ttsq026)

Eldredge, Cody (https://ror.org/01ythxj32)

Distributor:

Harvard Dataverse

Access Authority:

Eldredge, Cody

Depositor:

Eldredge, Cody

Date of Deposit:

2025-11-22

Holdings Information:

https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/GURSZB

Study Scope

Keywords:

Social Sciences

Abstract:

Autocracies, like democracies, use reservations to adjust their treaty commitments. But autocracies receive far greater pressure to withdraw reservations. To what extent is this pressure effective? Statistical analyses and case illustrations reveal that autocracies respond to international pressure differently than democracies: autocracies are more likely to withdraw reservations when facing treaty body reviews and less likely to withdraw reservations in response to peer state objections. We explore possible explanations for this difference. Autocracies may be more responsive to periodic reviews because they are conducted by technical experts from diverse countries, regions, and political regimes, rather than states’ political representatives. Periodic review is an iterative process that gives autocracies time to address domestic opposition to withdrawing reservations. Yet, autocracies may be less likely to withdraw reservations in response to state objections because they see objections, which primarily originate with Western democracies, as biased, hypocritical, and possibly even neocolonial. Objections are also only filed once and may thus not have the sustained impact necessary to prompt reservation withdrawal.

Methodology and Processing

Sources Statement

Data Access

Notes:

Other Study Description Materials

Related Publications

Citation

Title:

Zvobgo, Kelebogile, and Megan Shannon and Cody D. Eldredge. 2026. "Responding to Criticism: Autocratic states and treaty reservation withdrawal." Journal of Human Rights. 25(1):1-16.

Bibliographic Citation:

Zvobgo, Kelebogile, and Megan Shannon and Cody D. Eldredge. 2026. "Responding to Criticism: Autocratic states and treaty reservation withdrawal." Journal of Human Rights. 25(1):1-16.

File Description--f13173914

File: Replication_Zvobgo_Shannon_Eldredge.tab

Number of cases: 88131
No. of variables per record: 27
Type of File: text/tab-separated-values

Notes:

UNF:6:uoOLxxeBHn8ATH8QGe9q8A==

Variable Description

List of Variables:

country - Country
cow_id - Correlates of War Country ID Number
treaty_id - Treaty ID Number
rat_yr - Ratification Year
article - Article Number
para - Standardized Paragraph Number
provision_id - Provision ID Number
art_function - Article Function
reservation - Reservation
declaration - Declaration
resdec_yr - Reservation/Declaration Year
withdrawal - Reservation/Declaration Withdrawal
withdrawal_res - Reservation Withdrawal
wdraw_yr - Year of Withdrawal
demanding - Demanding Treaty Provision
nonderog_prov - Non-derogable Treaty Provision
avg_v2juhcind - Judicial Independence
treateq_sup - Treaties Equal or Superior
avg_nhri_powers - Strong National Human Rights Institutions
avg_polity2 - Democracy
avg_fariss_latentmean - Basic Rights Respected
avg_ln_gdp_percap - GDP per capita (ln)
avg_ln_pop_total - Population (ln)
legalsys
objections - Number of State Objections
reviewyearwithdraw - Periodic Review Year
reviewXpolity

Variables

Country

f13173914 Location:

Variable Format: character

Notes: UNF:6:fEfxfn6TGzhHo+Ugy2+yFQ==

Correlates of War Country ID Number

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 73061.0; StDev 269.8393385185887; Min. 2.0; Mean 460.0920600594065; Max. 1350.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:TY7eYI5jwpkKQLktCAGIiw==

Treaty ID Number

f13173914 Location:

Value	Label	Frequency
5.	5. CERD	2992
3.	3. CAT	4466
7.	7. CRC	18947
9.	9. CRPD	13801
17.	17. GENO	0
4.	4. CEDAW	8510
19.	19. ICESCR	4321
18.	18. ICCPR	10398
6.	6. CED	2193
8.	8. CRMW	6768

Summary Statistics: Mean 9.058525332891303; StDev 4.983266464193354; Max. 19.0; Min. 3.0; Valid 72396.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:c91MiJWWUJseUH5+/ROdQQ==

Ratification Year

f13173914 Location:

Variable Format: character

Notes: UNF:6:fvkby6IdfdGU2Vqj35CLPw==

Article Number

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 1.0; Valid 72396.0; Max. 84.0; StDev 13.273866249934883; Mean 18.329120393391907;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:dSOL9wGlKJw90HpOow74IQ==

Standardized Paragraph Number

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 908.0; StDev 351.54450464500513; Min. 0.0; Valid 72396.0; Mean 170.5874357699331

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:qVUBjywAIvW6EoHjcNr0OQ==

Provision ID Number

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 302001.0; StDev 497485.7682356297; Max. 1917002.0; Mean 923763.5613605273; Valid 73060.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:tWz8lvrP1BAwCIK4vqAoHg==

Article Function

f13173914 Location:

Value	Label	Frequency
2.	2. general purpose or object	0
5.	5. obligation	72396
6.	6. limitation	0
7.	7. non-derogation	0
9.	9. functioning of treaty body	0
4.	4. treaty mechanics	0
8.	8. accept jurisdiction of treaty body	0
10.	10. other or unclear	0
3.	3. definition of treaty language	0
1.	1. preamble	0

Summary Statistics: Valid 72396.0; Mean 5.0; Max. 5.0; StDev 0.0; Min. 5.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:eEjQkKCRA1NL3STJaQMPTQ==

Reservation

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 1.0; Mean 0.012680258577818928; StDev 0.11189120855999382; Min. 0.0; Valid 72396.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:gszWnpfd5Pw2LlK0PBMenQ==

Declaration

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 0.0; StDev 0.07467711502688072; Max. 1.0; Valid 72396.0; Mean 0.005608044643350417

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:KHzk8sAugeDRgA5a2IoOfw==

Reservation/Declaration Year

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 1253.0; StDev 10.776672258879596; Min. 1966.0; Max. 2014.0; Mean 1991.7964884277733;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:d3UB5LST/0N70DfIfCIQOw==

Reservation/Declaration Withdrawal

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 1.0; Min. 0.0; Mean 0.003094093596331076; StDev 0.05553884035485514; Valid 72396.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:OKbbuLJ+FYyZxZ9z2llqFQ==

Reservation Withdrawal

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 0.052356974463131936; Min. 0.0; Max. 1.0; Mean 0.0027487706503157698; Valid 72396.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:/+SYcil9UAuNKuDpcWr2bQ==

Year of Withdrawal

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 2014.0; StDev 8.61807985855495; Min. 1977.0; Mean 2003.875; Valid 224.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:SrDbLgVAijnj+b4fnVHT3Q==

Demanding Treaty Provision

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Mean 0.38039394441681756; Min. 0.0; Max. 1.0; StDev 0.48548702056822785; Valid 72396.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:MDpqSfbd3NxVnI+nk024hA==

Non-derogable Treaty Provision

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 0.0; Valid 72396.0; Max. 1.0; Mean 0.0398364550527661; StDev 0.19557617504766772;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:dQXcdQnNculoVD6E6nw1Ng==

Judicial Independence

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 61973.0; Min. -3.2802112102508545; Max. 3.556389570236206; StDev 1.3987855478630031; Mean 0.1814791729254525;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:ZNmiC1/BJbEjVk4moa0U/Q==

Treaties Equal or Superior

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 0.42632643814958865; Max. 1.0; Valid 72396.0; Mean 0.238756284877617; Min. 0.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:uxFfkfjp7QJN6D39KBckUw==

Strong National Human Rights Institutions

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 70269.0; StDev 4.508915272486991; Max. 15.0; Mean 2.2174168788997743; Min. 0.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:wbCMoEcZVhQiR8mC3geXdQ==

Democracy

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 56409.0; Min. -10.0; StDev 7.080514360896271; Mean 1.3446081350394747; Max. 10.0

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:ysK8hSTCKLRq/viOFjhYsg==

Basic Rights Respected

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Max. 4.684353828430176; Mean 0.3285032817939725; Min. -3.047454833984375; Valid 65184.0; StDev 1.331854965944976

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:P5WwMXzyKEgJJjBQ2oBoBg==

GDP per capita (ln)

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Min. 4.167228698730469; Valid 62520.0; Max. 11.584108352661133; Mean 7.547903042791445; StDev 1.5428488053288127;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:C38f8HWGvioiAKwfQFUp5Q==

Population (ln)

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: StDev 2.0259365467814203; Mean 15.48062765806215; Min. 9.121685028076172; Max. 20.99395179748535; Valid 70235.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:PEIv834GjE15c9CjL3gvKg==

legalsys

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 70741.0; Max. 4.0; Mean 2.113145135070183; Min. 1.0; StDev 0.839227554713931

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:TT2IGYfCEx0EaINVBmJtYQ==

Number of State Objections

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 72396.0; Mean 0.022943256533517052; Min. 0.0; Max. 23.0; StDev 0.49472514574298476

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:+alOaCV6ovB1shrtPSIC2A==

Periodic Review Year

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Mean 0.0021822601585590098; Max. 1.0; StDev 0.04666399012826105; Min. 0.0; Valid 72402.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:zo0FX4IJ2Ifk7gLi2XWLmg==

reviewXpolity

f13173914 Location:

Summary Statistics: Valid 56409.0; Min. -9.0; Mean 0.0047391964878771; StDev 0.394273940912107; Max. 10.0;

Variable Format: numeric

Notes: UNF:6:uv6qp0Z+CbOdKRVlAXpJww==

Other Study-Related Materials

Label:

Replication_Zvobgo_Shannon_Eldredge.do

Notes:

text/x-stata-syntax