Economic Systems and Human Rights

Economic systems driven by monetary interests have enabled individuals, international institutions, and governments to prioritize financial gain and budget constraints over people. This has placed global dominance above human rights. This edited volume tackles the relationship between human rights and economic systems, providing new ways to help countries prioritize human rights in their economies. It includes contributions from scholars actively involved with the UNESCO Chair in Economic Systems and Human Rights, founded at the National University of La Plata. These contributors specialize in a range of topics within different disciplines, including economics, sociology, history, geography, law, and philosophy.

Providing historical insights into past and present conditions, the contributors explore the best ways to reform modern economic systems to ensure they promote human rights. The first half of the book includes theoretical proposals and underlying themes, while the second half offers concrete models and practices for use in today’s dominant economic systems. Unique contributions within chapters include frameworks readers can use to apply socioeconomic theory at both national and international levels.

The book examines structural problems such as socio-environmental crises, increased rates of inequality, and gaps between the economy and society. It discusses the transformation of dominant socio-economic theory as it relates to financial systems, productive labor markets, social participation, and the relationship between the economy, society, and the environment. Chapters directly address the loss of the ontological function in economies and propose new approaches to existing economic systems, drawing on scholars such as Adam Smith, who is well-known for his idea of the “invisible hand.”

The resulting book presents a modern approach to national and international well-being built around human rights. Readers will learn about the socioeconomic models and practices that best promote economic socialization and how this relates to global values shared across economies.

Francesco Vigliarolo is Chairholder of UNESCO’s Economic Systems and Human Rights Chair at the National University of La Plata, and he is Professor of Regional Economics at the Catholic University of La Plata. Vigliarolo is an expert in regional and social economics, economic sociology, and sustainable development.