Can We Still Afford Human Rights?
Critical Reflections on Universality, Proliferation and Costs
Published on 13. October 2020
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-1-83910-031-4 (ISBN)
Description
This insightful book offers a critical reflection on the sustainability and effectiveness of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its legacy over the last 70 years. Exploring the problems surrounding universality, proliferation and costs, it asks the provocative question, can we still afford human rights?
Expert contributors illustrate the interdependence between these three key issues in an unprecedented way, addressing many of the contemporary criticisms voiced against the human rights system and the reasons for popular skepticism about human rights. In order to interrogate the deficiencies of the UDHR, chapters analyse the following questions: Can and should we keep claiming that human rights are universal? Is their proliferation rendering human rights meaningless? And have human rights become too costly? The book concludes that there is a pressing need for a renewed and lasting commitment to human rights. We cannot afford not to afford human rights.
This book will be a valuable resource for academics and students of international relations, the political sciences and comparative legal studies. Covering policy and advocacy issues as well as the evolution of case law regarding particular human rights, it will also be beneficial for policy-makers and human rights practitioners.
Expert contributors illustrate the interdependence between these three key issues in an unprecedented way, addressing many of the contemporary criticisms voiced against the human rights system and the reasons for popular skepticism about human rights. In order to interrogate the deficiencies of the UDHR, chapters analyse the following questions: Can and should we keep claiming that human rights are universal? Is their proliferation rendering human rights meaningless? And have human rights become too costly? The book concludes that there is a pressing need for a renewed and lasting commitment to human rights. We cannot afford not to afford human rights.
This book will be a valuable resource for academics and students of international relations, the political sciences and comparative legal studies. Covering policy and advocacy issues as well as the evolution of case law regarding particular human rights, it will also be beneficial for policy-makers and human rights practitioners.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cheltenham
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-83910-031-4 (9781839100314)
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
Persons
Edited by Jan Wouters, Full Professor of International Law and International Organizations, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam EU and Global Governance and Director, Institute for International Law and Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, KU Leuven, Koen Lemmens, Professor of International and European Human Rights Law and Media Law, Leuven Centre for Public Law, KU Leuven, Thomas Van Poecke, formerly KU Leuven and Marie Bourguignon, PhD Researcher, Leuven Centre for Public Law, KU Leuven, Belgium
Content
Contents:
INTRODUCTION
1. The Interdependence of Issues Relating to the Universality, Proliferation and Costs of Human Rights
Thomas Van Poecke, Marie Bourguignon, Jan Wouters and Koen Lemmens
PART I: THE UNIVERSALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS
2. The Mythic Universality of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights: Revisiting the Drafting History of the UDHR in Search for a Foundational Theory
Nick Goetschalckx
3. The Case for a Comprehensive Global Human Rights Treaty under UN Auspices
Prof. Dr. Konstantinos D. Magliveras
4. The Universality of Human Rights: A European perspective
Prof. Dr. Paul Lemmens
5. Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships under the ECHR: Till Death - or the Lack of European Consensus - Do Us Part
Dr. Johan Lievens and Nele Verbrugghe
Part II: THE PROLIFERATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
6. The Proliferation of Human Rights: Between Devotion and Calculation
Prof. Dr. Kasey McCall-Smith
7. Human Rights Adjudication: Between Hopes and Failures
Dr. Dalia Palombo
8. Sustainable Development in "New Generation" Trade Agreements of the European Union: Towards Integration or Fragmentation of the Human Rights Language?'
Michelle Meulebrouck
9. Denationalization under the EC(t)HR: A Need for an Autonomous Human Right to a Nationality?
Louise Reyntjens
PART III: THE COSTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
10. Economic, Social and Political Costs of the (Non-)Realization of Human Rights: Towards a New Social Contract
Prof. Dr. Felipe Gomez Isa
11. Conflicts in Human Rights-Based Development
Dr. Gustavo Arosemena and Bart Kleine Deters
12. Rights and Development: The Costs of Human Rights in Ethiopia
Dr. Dina Townsend and Dr. Nicky Broeckhoven
13. The Least Financially Accountable Branch? The Right to Health and the Judiciary's Power of the Purse: An Israeli Perspective
Dr. Hillel Sommer
CONCLUSION
14. The Human Rights Project: Perspectives on Universality, Proliferation and Costs of Human Rights
Dima Yared
Index
INTRODUCTION
1. The Interdependence of Issues Relating to the Universality, Proliferation and Costs of Human Rights
Thomas Van Poecke, Marie Bourguignon, Jan Wouters and Koen Lemmens
PART I: THE UNIVERSALITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS
2. The Mythic Universality of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights: Revisiting the Drafting History of the UDHR in Search for a Foundational Theory
Nick Goetschalckx
3. The Case for a Comprehensive Global Human Rights Treaty under UN Auspices
Prof. Dr. Konstantinos D. Magliveras
4. The Universality of Human Rights: A European perspective
Prof. Dr. Paul Lemmens
5. Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships under the ECHR: Till Death - or the Lack of European Consensus - Do Us Part
Dr. Johan Lievens and Nele Verbrugghe
Part II: THE PROLIFERATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
6. The Proliferation of Human Rights: Between Devotion and Calculation
Prof. Dr. Kasey McCall-Smith
7. Human Rights Adjudication: Between Hopes and Failures
Dr. Dalia Palombo
8. Sustainable Development in "New Generation" Trade Agreements of the European Union: Towards Integration or Fragmentation of the Human Rights Language?'
Michelle Meulebrouck
9. Denationalization under the EC(t)HR: A Need for an Autonomous Human Right to a Nationality?
Louise Reyntjens
PART III: THE COSTS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
10. Economic, Social and Political Costs of the (Non-)Realization of Human Rights: Towards a New Social Contract
Prof. Dr. Felipe Gomez Isa
11. Conflicts in Human Rights-Based Development
Dr. Gustavo Arosemena and Bart Kleine Deters
12. Rights and Development: The Costs of Human Rights in Ethiopia
Dr. Dina Townsend and Dr. Nicky Broeckhoven
13. The Least Financially Accountable Branch? The Right to Health and the Judiciary's Power of the Purse: An Israeli Perspective
Dr. Hillel Sommer
CONCLUSION
14. The Human Rights Project: Perspectives on Universality, Proliferation and Costs of Human Rights
Dima Yared
Index