ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses both theory and research design, and explains multiple types of effects of surveillance: effects on policy makers and domestic political debate, effects on media, and effects on third parties. Differences in contexts help to explain where the information in surveillance can make a difference and where it does not. Soft law has three characteristics: low levels of obligation, low levels of precision, and low levels of delegation. The claim that soft law can socialize states stems from the constructivist tradition. Regardless of the theoretical foundations, soft law can, under certain conditions, lead states to change their behavior. Arguments based on information and socialization stem from differing research traditions. The notion that international organizations that use soft law can inform stems largely from the institutionalist tradition. The claim that international organizations reveal information and solve problems of market failure is at the core of the institutionalist tradition.
