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10 - Distributive Justice, and Economic and Social Rights

from Part III - Socioeconomic Rights and Economic Inequalities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2021

By
Joo-Young Lee
Edited by
Gillian MacNaughton ,
Diane Frey  and
Catherine Porter
Gillian MacNaughton
Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts, Boston
Diane Frey
Affiliation:
San Francisco State University
Catherine Porter
Affiliation:
Lancaster University
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Summary

Economic inequalities matter to human rights. There are two main reasons for concern about economic inequalities from human rights perspectives. First, economic inequalities matter to human rights because of their consequences. As Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights (2014–20), stressed, “economic inequalities severely affect a range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights” (Alston 2015, 10). Research indicates that higher income inequality correlates to higher rates of homicides and robbery (Elhar and Aitken 2011, 241–6; Melamed and Samman 2013, 7). Economic inequality is often closely linked with “rising levels of crime and social unrest” (UNRISD 2010, 62).

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Human Rights and Economic Inequalities , pp. 247 - 270
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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