Author Caroline Dommen's paper enquires "into whether it is possible to articulate a concept of Human Rights Economics and, if so, what Human Rights Economics would consist of and how it could be put into practice. The enquiry concludes that it is possible to answer the first question affirmatively – it thus puts forward the term and notion of Human Rights Economics... The paper has established that human rights principles such as accountability, non-discrimination, and participation are at the core of Human Rights Economics. It has also determined that Human Rights Economics has a powerful role to play by questioning and deconstructing economic assumptions. This paper has pinpointed areas in which further conceptual work is needed in order to further put flesh on the Human Rights Economics principles and approaches that it has identified. Provisos accompany this affirmative answer. First, rather than being an overarching framework that describes the workings of the economy, Human Rights Economics aims to readjust economic thinking and practice in such a way to embed human rights principles and values in them. Secondly, the content and definition of human rights needs to be more clearly delineated and communicated for Human Rights Economics to play a useful role as a new branch of economics that supports social equity and environmental objectives. In seeking to answer the question of how to put Human Rights Economics into practice, this paper has posited that human rights advocates need to further develop their economic literacy so as to be able to be taken more seriously by economists. The human rights community will need to be more deliberate and strategic in its engagement with economics and economic policies; changes towards a more human rights-consistent economy will not happen by themselves." Find out more by clicking here.
