The aim of the workshop is to discuss Gjovalin Macaj’s book manuscript ‘The logic of consistency and the rise of human rights institutions’, which explores why states have created institutions to hold themselves accountable for human rights obligations they cannot comply with. The book identifies and connects traces of political action in support of and opposition to international scrutiny of human rights over the last hundred years, building on in-depth cases studies and primary sources. The book proposes an explanation in the form of a theory, called the logic of consistency, that contrasts with typical approaches which rely on coercion, utility-maximisation, path dependency, persuasion and socialisation, to account for change and continuity in world society. The logic of consistency draws on philosophy, sociology, history, legal theory and politics and aspires to contribute to the understanding of normative and institutional change in all these fields.