Leeds, Brett Ashley2016-01-272016-01-272015-122015-12-02December 2Matsumura, Naoko. "The Effects of Foreign Audiences in International Dispute Settlements." (2015) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88196">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88196</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/88196This dissertation addresses the question of why actors (i.e., states and non-state actors) use international organizations (IOs) to settle disputes when such institutions often do not have enforcement power of their own. I approach this question by looking at the influence of IO dispute settlement processes on the behavior of domestic and foreign audiences. In particular, I argue that actors use IOs in order to influence pro-compliance foreign audiences by providing two types of information: information about violations that have occurred and information about the willingness and ability of parties to comply with settlement obligations. Informed pro-compliance audiences can work as enforcers, which help facilitate a state’s compliance with an IO’s ruling. This dissertation is composed of three stand-alone essays. These essays empirically test the implications of my theoretical arguments on datasets of actors’ use of dispute settlement mechanisms in the areas of trade and foreign investment. This dissertation sheds new light on actors’ strategic use of IOs.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.International OrganizationsDispute SettlementWorld Trade OrganizationInternational Center for Settlement for Investment DisputePreferential Trade AgreementBilateral Investment AgreementCompliance, Leadership TurnoverThesis2016-01-27