Human Rights and Economic Inequalities

Description

Economic inequalities are among the greatest human rights challenges the world faces today due to the past four decades of neoliberal policy dominance. Globally, there are now over 2,000 billionaires, while 3.4 billion people live below the poverty line of US $5.50 per day. Many human rights scholars and practitioners read these statistics with alarm, asking what impact such extreme inequalities have on realizing human rights and what role, if any, should human rights have in challenging them? This edited volume examines these questions from multiple disciplinary perspectives, seeking to uncover the relationships between human rights and economic inequalities, and the barriers and pathways to greater economic equality and full enjoyment of human rights for all. The volume is a unique contribution to the emerging literature on human rights and economic inequality, as it is interdisciplinary, global in reach and extends to several under-researched areas in the field.

Gillian MacNaughton, JD, DPhil, is Associate Professor of Human Rights at the University of Massachusetts Boston, co-editor of Economic and Social Rights in a Neoliberal World (Cambridge University Press, 2018), and co-founder of the Collaborative Research Network on Economic and Social Rights in the Law and Society Association. Diane F. Frey, PhD, is a lecturer in Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, co-editor of Economic and Social Rights in a Neoliberal World (Cambridge University Press 2018), and co-founder of the Collaborative Research Network on Economic and Social Rights in the Law and Society Association. Catherine Porter is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics, Lancaster University, UK. She has provided policy advice to the UK and Ethiopian Governments, the United Nations (UNICEF, UNDP) and the World Bank. Her latest project examines the unequal impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic in low income countries.

'This stimulating collection fairly engages distinctive positions on the relationship between the cause of human rights and our age of economic inequality, forcing all participants to reflect anew on the ethical realities and political opportunities of our time. After an introduction that captures the state of the art, the chapters range widely, bringing unprecedented economic expertise to bear. The results transform a debate that will continue to rage.' Samuel Moyn, Yale University 'This provocative, thought-provoking book will be a very valuable read for anyone interested in the issues of economic inequalities and human rights. Exploring the factors that cause and exacerbate economic inequality, as well as activist, scholarly and policymaker responses thereto, the contributions to this volume will deepen general understanding of topics that are ever more pressing, both in the COVID-19 context and beyond.' Aoife Nolan, Professor of International Human Rights Law and Co-Director, Human Rights Law Centre, School of Law, University of Nottingham Member, Council of Europe European Committee of Social Rights 'This book is an outstanding examination of the intersection of economics and human rights and their potential to work together to address, and even reverse, extreme economic inequality. Given ever-increasing inequality, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the book is a timely and useful contribution and a resource for scholars, students and activists.' Andy Sumner, Professor of International Development, King's College London 'This volume directs a spotlight on one of the most fundamental consequences of decades of neoliberal policies - the soaring inequalities in income, wealth, and economic power within and between countries - and shows how human rights standards provide an ethical frame for confronting this challenge. This book is a must-read for human rights experts, advocates, and economists who are concerned with advancing social and distributive justice.' James Heintz, Andrew Glyn Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst 'This book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on the relationship between inequality and human rights ... and an important book for scholars and practitioners working on economic policy and human rights.' Radhika Balakrishnan, Faculty Director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership and Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, Rutgers University 'This important volume brings together a range of interdisciplinary perspectives to analyze economic inequality as one of the critical human rights challenges of our time. It sheds useful light not only on the relationship of human rights standards to economic inequality, but on how they can be used to tackle it. As such it is a valuable contribution to the growing academic literature and advocacy practice on this issue.' Ignacio Saiz, Executive Director, Center for Economic and Social Rights (CESR) 'It is now clear that economic inequality profoundly affects both the workings of democracy, and equal opportunities that the law holds dear. However, human rights law remedies economic ills only when civil rights and political rights are directly harmed. This volume contributes to restoring the rightful breadth of human rights, acknowledging economic inequality as both a moral and practical human rights concern.' Julia Harrington Reddy, Director, Equality & Inclusion, Justice Initiative, Open Society Foundation