The Littlest Immigrants: Cross-Border Adoption in the Americas, Policy, and Women's History

What determines whether a country has more or less restrictive policies regarding intercountry adoption? Despite the growing importance of intercountry adoption as a political issue, and as an explicitly human face of globalization, there is virtually no systematic empirical work on intercountry adoption. We introduce a measure of the restrictiveness of the adoption laws in Sub-Saharan African countries and test possible explanations for the variations in legal restrictions on intercountry adoption among these countries.Factors that are commonly cited as explanations for the restrictiveness of intercountry adoption policies do not hold up very well in our assessment. Openness to adoption is not determined by the severity of the orphan crisis or the AIDS crisis within the sending country, nor are democratic countries more responsive to the needs of their orphans. Additionally, African signatories to the Hague Convention, which aimed to increase transparency and accountability in intercountry adoption, tend to be among the most restrictive. On the other hand, a stronger connection with the global economy is associated with greater openness to intercountry adoption. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for orphans and for intercountry adoption.

show abstract

“… 21 Collinson 2007; Menozzi and Mirkin 2007; Saunders 2006; Bartholet 2005; Kapstein 2003; Masson 2001; GAO 1993.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Politics of Intercountry Adoption: Explaining Variation in the Legal Requirements of Sub-Saharan African Countries

Breuning

Ishiyama

2009

Perspect. polit.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Guatemala, rumors-attributed to political agitators looking to unbalance the country's precarious socio-political position [140]-reached a tipping point in 1994. With a lack of appropriate understanding and no coordinated state response, there was a series of attacks on foreigners [141].…”

Section: A Spreading Issue and Broader Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Epistemic Communities, Human Rights, and the Global Diffusion of Legislation against the Organ Trade

Amahazion¹

2016

Social Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Over the past several decades, over 100 countries have passed legislation banning commercial organ transplantation. What explains this rapid, global diffusion of laws? Based on qualitative data from in-depth interviews, historical analysis, and secondary sources, this paper explores the role played by the medical epistemic community and human rights in the global spread of laws against the organ trade. In addition to shaping, guiding, and influencing norms and approaches to transplantation, the epistemic community has been instrumental in the development of various resolutions, policy initiatives, recommended practices, statements, legislation, and model laws. Moreover, the epistemic community helped position the organ trade as an issue of societal and global importance, and it persistently encouraged states to undertake actions, such as implementing legislation, to combat the organ trade. Critically, the epistemic community's efforts against the organ trade incorporated the concepts of human rights, integrity, and dignity, which had diffused globally and become institutionalized in the period after WWII.

show abstract

“…The rapid increase in ICAs from Guatemala led to baby selling scandals. Reports that children were being trafficked for both adoption and as organ donors precipitated riots and vigilante violence targeting tourists (Collinson, 2007). Corrupt “baby selling” practices flourished including financial inducements to the mother or family, promising the mother that the placement was temporary, kidnapping from the biological mothers, and even taking infants across the border (for example from Guatemala to Honduras), for adoptive placement (Bunkers, Groza, and Lauer, 2009).…”

Section: Background: Four Waves Of Icasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intercountry Adoption Flows from Africa to the U.S.: A Fifth Wave of Intercountry Adoptions?

Davis

2011

International Migration Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article addresses whether there is the beginning of a fifth wave of intercountry adoptions (ICAs) from Africa to the United States (U.S.). ICAs function as a “quiet migration” of children [Weil (1984)International Migration Review 18(2):276–293; Lovelock (2000)International Migration Review 34 (3):907–949; Selman (2002)Population Research and Policy Review 21:205–225]. U.S. Department of Justice Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) data from 1971 to 2009 indicate that there were 421,085 ICAs to the U.S. Tarmann (2003:2, http://dx.doi.org/http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/InternationalAdoptionRateinUSDoubledinthe1990s.aspx?p=1) reported that in 2000, U.S. parents completed one ICA for every 200 births. In the past, top sending countries have followed flows from Europe, South America, and Asia. INS data are used to analyze the increase in the intercountry adoptees from Africa from 1996 to 2009. Similar Hague Convention data are used for the comparison of the number of ICAs from Africa to other top recipient nations. Demographic and economic data are used to support the suggestion that ICAs, similar to other migratory flows, are from developing to developed countries.

show abstract

The Littlest Immigrants: Cross-Border Adoption in the Americas, Policy, and Women's History

Cited by 10 publications

References 4 publications

The Politics of Intercountry Adoption: Explaining Variation in the Legal Requirements of Sub-Saharan African Countries

The Politics of Intercountry Adoption: Explaining Variation in the Legal Requirements of Sub-Saharan African Countries

Epistemic Communities, Human Rights, and the Global Diffusion of Legislation against the Organ Trade

Intercountry Adoption Flows from Africa to the U.S.: A Fifth Wave of Intercountry Adoptions?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About