
Development and Human Rights
Rhetoric and Reality in India
Joel E. Oestreich(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 8. June 2017
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-0-19-063734-7 (ISBN)
Description
Development and Human Rights examines how United Nations agencies are following a "rights based approach to development" in India. It asks two questions: how (if at all) does the implementation of a rights based approach differ from traditional development work? And what strategies do development agencies follow to overcome local opposition to this politically controversial strategy? Integrating human rights into the development process means that development agencies can be vitally important instruments in rights protection and promotion, which has been overlooked in almost all existing literature on human rights. This book, then, presents the first full-length study of how these agencies evaluate the rights situation in a single country, and the first study to look at both the good and the bad in a rights based approach. It begins with a description of what a rights based approach is, and an examination of the human rights challenges faced in India. It then focuses on the work of five agencies: UNICEF, the UN Development Programme, the World Bank, the UN Fund for Population Activities, and UN Women. Chapters then summarize how the UN navigates this difficult political terrain, and how effectively these policies are being implemented. It also considers how rights based approaches fit in the traditional discourse on human rights, and what it says about the ability of these agencies to initiate meaningful change on state behavior in the rights arena.
Reviews / Votes
"A must-read book for human rights proponents, governments or civil society, especially for its positive but frequently misunderstood message. In countries where advocacy for human rights is politically sensitive, real progress can still be made not by public confrontation but indirectly by promoting rights-based development programs. In this original and carefully documented study, Joel Oestreich shows where and how this indirect approach has avoidedgovernment opposition, delivered on the specifics, and yet, in doing so, has mobilized community awareness of their rights and stimulated further community action."
--Sir Richard Jolly, Honorary Professor Institute of Development Studies Sussex, and former deputy executive director of UNICEF, 1982-1995
"Oestreich's analysis of UN advocacy and implementation of first and second generation rights in the world's biggest democracy breaks new ground in demonstrating why multilateralism matters. As the book's subtitle makes clear, UN officials can make a difference to the quality of human life in reality, not merely in rhetoric."
--Thomas G. Weiss, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York
"Development and Human Rights solidifies Oestreich's reputation as a leader in the deep study of international organizations. This important contribution to the analysis of international organizations beyond the global level carefully illustrates how international organizations act intrusively in, and independently of, states, while simultaneously navigating resistance within states. It demonstrates the necessity - and difficulty - of maintaining a
connection between economic, social and cultural rights and civil and political rights to further transformative development."
--Kurt Mills, Senior Lecturer in International Human Rights, University of Glasgow
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
508 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-063734-7 (9780190637347)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2017
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€12.49
Available for download

E-Book
04/2017
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€50.49
Available for download
Person
Joel E. Oestreich is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Area Studies Program at Drexel University. He is the author of Power and Principle: Human Rights Programming in International Organizations.
Author
Professor of Political ScienceProfessor of Political Science, Drexel University
Content
Chapter 1: Human Rights, Politics, and Development
Chapter 2: Development and Human Rights in India
Chapter 3: The United Nations Development Programme
Chapter 4: The United Nations Children's Fund
Chapter 5: Other UN Agencies Involved in RBA
Chapter 6: Strategies and Outcomes of Rights-Based Approaches
Chapter 7: Conclusion: New Ways of Pursuing Human Rights Promotion
Notes
Index
Chapter 2: Development and Human Rights in India
Chapter 3: The United Nations Development Programme
Chapter 4: The United Nations Children's Fund
Chapter 5: Other UN Agencies Involved in RBA
Chapter 6: Strategies and Outcomes of Rights-Based Approaches
Chapter 7: Conclusion: New Ways of Pursuing Human Rights Promotion
Notes
Index