Policy and sexual minority rights
Civil and political rights of sexual minorities have changed in recent years. Globalisation, economic development and democratic conditions have all played a part in this shift. Yet, the level of policy change has varied across countries and a vast amount of discrimination still occurs. An EU-funded project, CIVLIBSID (Rights and liberties in a comparative perspective: A cross national analysis of discrimination against sexual minorities) looked into this. Specifically, the study focused on the quantitative decriminalisation of homosexual acts using a cross-national perspective. A large sample of countries was used and covered a period of several decades. Results show that political institutions such as elections and accountability lead to the introduction of policy change whereas global trends affect courts and legislatures equally. The theoretical framework explains policy changes through various institutional paths. In addition to journal articles, a book will be produced and conferences will be organised. A student exchange programme will also be established. This work can make significant contributions to the fields of political science, the study of law and public law, and sociology and to policy studies.
Keywords
Rights and liberties, sexual minorities, political rights, policy change
