Siting the Death Penalty Internationally

2008/05/02 by David F. Greenberg, Valerie West · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis #Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences #American Constitutional Law and Politics

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1747-4469.2008.00105.x

openalex publication_date 2008/05/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/11

Abstract

We examine sources of variation in possession and use of the death penalty using data drawn from 193 nations in order to test theories of punishment. We find the death penalty to be rooted in a country's legal and political systems, and to be influenced by its religious traditions. A country's level of economic development, its educational attainment, and its religious composition shape its political institutions and practices, indirectly affecting its use of the death penalty. The article concludes by discussing likely future trends.

Citations

• Democracy and Economic Growth: A Meta‐Analysis
• Which Countries Have State Religions?
• E Pluribus Unum: Diversity and Community in the Twenty‐first Century The 2006 Johan Skytte Prize Lecture
• Tracking Democracy's Third Wave with the Polity III Data
• Social categorization and intergroup behaviour
• Does Oil Hinder Democracy?

Cited by

• Capital punishment [wikipedia]
• Religion and capital punishment [wikipedia]

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