Evaluating Bias in U.S. TIP Reports and Sanction Decisions
Glenn M. Harden, PhD | September 23 | 1:45-2:45 pm
Topic: Research | Knowledge Level: Advanced
The U.S. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act requires the U.S. State Department to evaluate other countries’ anti-trafficking policies and impose economic sanctions on those countries which are not making serious efforts to improve their performance. In its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, the U.S. State Department places countries into “tiers” based on their performance. Tier 1 countries are meeting minimum standards, while poor-performing tier 3 countries may be sanctioned. Scholars, activists, and policymakers have criticized the TIP scoring and sanction decisions for being influenced by U.S. geopolitical interests, for preferring prosecution policies, and for emphasizing sex trafficking over other forms of trafficking. This study asks if these criticisms have merit. The researcher examines the U.S. TIP report tier rankings and sanction decisions using generalized order logistic regression models on a novel data set. Independent variables include those related to policy performance and those which imply geopolitical bias. Findings indicate that while U.S. scoring and sanction decisions are informed by policy performance, geopolitical interests also matter. U.S. military partners are more likely to be scored at tier 2. Furthermore, results reveal that though prosecutions do inform scoring decisions, victim protection policies are also influential. However, TIP scoring decisions seem to undervalue intersectoral coordinating bodies and international cooperation. Finally, the researcher finds no evidence that the U.S. emphasizes sex trafficking in its scoring decisions. The presentation concludes with recommendations for reducing bias in the U.S. TIP reports and sanction decisions.
Presentation Objectives:
· Summarize and evaluate criticisms of the U.S. TIP reports and sanction decisions
· Discuss implications for policy advocacy and U.S. diplomacy