Readers in Western developed countries are most familiar with abuses of
political and civil rights, but the international human rights regime
also embraces a set of laws regarding economic rights. These rights
include the right to work and to just and favorable working conditions;
the right to join and form trade unions; the right to social security;
specific rights for the family; the right to an adequate standard of
living, including food, clothing, housing, and the continuous
improvement of living conditions; and the right to the highest
attainable standard of physical and mental health.
In original essays by scholars senior and junior, this volume explains
how these rights are realized--or violated--in Canada and the United
States. Contributors analyze the philosophy, law, and politics of
economic rights and discuss specific issues such as poverty, health
care, and the rights of people with disabilities. Central to the
problems of both countries are the human rights abuses evident in all
contemporary capitalist societies. When the inequalities among citizens
are not cushioned by a national commitment to economic rights, or when
governments fail to maintain social safety nets for all citizens,
economic rights are at risk.
Contributors consider the problem from the perspective of their own
countries: Canada, the United States, and, for contrast, the
Netherlands. They do so in order to explore whether their own countries
fall short of meeting international standards of economic rights. They
also address the criticism often made by non-Western scholars of human
rights--that their Western colleagues preach human rights abroad without
regard to the human rights flaws at home.
