This seminar uses a multidisciplinary lens to explore the linkages between global poverty, human rights, and development from a historical, theoretical, institutional, and policy-making perspective. Its departure point is the emergence of a recent "human rights and development" trend, both in academia and policy, as a result of the combined failure of development economics and the human rights movement to effectively address the challenge of global poverty and inequality.
The first part of the seminar draws on foundational readings from law, development economics, political science, moral philosophy, and social anthropology to introduce historically and normatively situated approaches to development and human rights. The second part explores key themes and current policy debates in the field as they play out respectively at the level of an international financial institution, national level development strategies, and the private sector. The third part focuses on how social and economic rights and second generation human rights to food, health, housing, and a decent livelihood can operate in the context of developing countries. Students are engaged in workshop-format sessions around case studies. These case studies place students at the ground level of advocacy and policy-making around socioeconomic rights and development strategies, and provide a concrete opportunity to explore the practical implications of the human rights/development interface.
Section Offerings for 2012-13
There are no offered sections in 2012-13. Please choose a different year.