Coatrack for One’s Mind: Proposing a New Theoretical Model for the Study of Children’s Rights in Context

Hopman, M. J., Fufa, B., Gemechu, D., & Jibat, N. (2025). A coatrack for one’s mind: proposing a new theoretical model for the study of children’s rights in context. Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17080677

Abstract:

Several children’s rights researchers have expressed concern about a lack of foundational theory/ies in children’s rights research. In reply to this discussion, this article proposes the Children’s Rights Normative Cultures (CRNC) model, a theoretical model that can guide the empirical study of children’s rights in various societies. In addition to presenting the model, the article outlines a non-exhaustive set of empirical factors to be studied, offers methodological tools adaptable to diverse cultural contexts, and illustrates the model’s application in Flanders (Belgium) and Ethiopia.