Beyond compliance theories: a case study of the right to education of Syrian refugees in Jordan

It investigates factors affecting Jordan’s compliance with the right to education of Syrian refugees (RESR) under the obligations of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. In the search for the most appropriate theoretical model to provide us with a more comprehensive understanding of factors affecting Jordan’s compliance conduct, four main compliance theories from both the rational-actor model and normative-constructive model are critically analysed and tested in the context of Jordan: realism, institutionalism, liberalism, and the Transnational Legal Process.

The analysis suggests that, although each provides valuable insights about factors affecting Jordan’s compliance behaviour, none of these theoretical models has adequate causal explanatory power. Therefore, Weiss and Jacobson’ comprehensive model of compliance was utilized to better understand the underlying factors contributing to the relationship between Jordan and IHRL in general and state compliance with RESR in particular.