Determinants of the Death Penalty

Determinants of the Death Penalty seeks to explain the phenomenon of capital punishment - without recourse to value judgements - by identifying those characteristics common to countries that use the death penalty and those that mark countries which do not. This global study uses statistical analysis to relate the popularity of the death penalty to physical, cultural, social, economical, institutional, actor oriented and historical factors. Separate studies are conducted for democracies and non-democracies and within four regional contexts. The book also contains an in-depth investigation into determinants of the death penalty in the USA.

Carsten Anckar is senior lecturer in political science at the Mid-Sweden University and associate professor at the Åbo Akademi University, Finland.

Part I 1. Introduction 2. Two Time Settings 3. The Dependent Variable 4. An Historical and Geographical Overview 5. Methodological Considerations 6. Six Sets of Explanations Part II 1. The Physical Setting 2. The Cultural Setting 3. Development, Security and Dependency 4. Political Institutions 5. Political Actors 6. Historical Explanations Part III 1. Multivariate Patterns 2. The Death Penalty in Democracies and Non-Democracies 3. Regional Patterns Part IV 1. USA as a Case Study 2. The Death Penalty in USA 3. Physical Factors 4. The Cultural Setting 5. Socioeconomic Development 6. Level of Crime 7. Political Actors 8. Historical Explications 9. Multivariate Patterns in USA 10. Discussion Part V 1. Determinants of the Death Penalty - Summary of Findings 2. Legitimacy, Diffusion and Trends