Civilising Globalisation: Human Rights and the Global Economy

Economic globalisation and universal human rights both have the aspiration and power to improve and enrich individuals and communities. However, their respective institutions, methods, practices and goals differ, leading to both detrimental clashes and beneficial synergies. In this book, David Kinley analyses how human rights intersect with the trade, aid and commercial dimensions of global economic relations, taking the view that, while the global economy is a vitally important civilising instrument, it itself requires civilising according to human rights standards. Combining meticulous research with highly informed views and experiences, he outlines the intellectual, policy and practical frameworks for ensuring that the global economy advances the ends of human rights, argues for better exploitation of the global economy's capacity to distribute as well as create wealth, and proposes mechanisms by which to minimise and manage the socially debilitating effects of its market failures and financial meltdowns.

Table of Contents:
1. Economic globalisation and universal human rights; 2. Trade and human rights; 3. Aid and human rights; 4. Commerce and human rights; 5. Civilising globalisation ahead.

About the Author :
David Kinley holds the Chair in Human Rights Law at the University of Sydney. An internationally renowned expert in the field, he has advised governments and corporations on human rights issues and has worked with the UN, the World Bank, AusAID and various NGOs.

Review :
'Professor Kinley offers a thoughtful assessment of two indispensable elements in our society today: global economic progress and human rights. He points out that too often human rights and trade experts have talked past each other, failing to appreciate the important linkages between the two issues. It is undeniable that a better understanding of the relationship between the global economy and human rights will improve our capacity to both enhance human rights and make the global economy work better for all. Professor Kinley's book makes an important contribution to this debate.' Pascal Lamy, Director-General, World Trade Organization 'After the crash of 2008, few can now deny that the global economy needs to be given a human rights dimension. David Kinley's fluently written argument for a new synthesis between the two could not have come at a better time. Its arguments are clear, impressive, and immensely challenging for marketeers and human rights activists alike.' Conor Gearty, London School of Economics and Political Science 'One of the biggest challenges confronting human rights practitioners and scholars today is to relate the international legal framework of rights to issues of aid, trade, investment, and corporate conduct. Kinley has crafted a superb overview of the complex and contested dimensions of these problems. This is a state-of-the-art primer on issues that remain all too poorly understood by many of the actors who badly need to engage with them.' Philip Alston, New York University Law School, and Special Adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Millennium Development Goals 'Technical enough to be informative about the role of positive law in the field, this book is also the testimony of the legal feasibility of a humanist approach towards the trade and human rights debate. Moreover, the legal analysis is fed by multidisciplinary insights, paying tribute at the methodological level to the complexity of globalisation.' Helene Ruiz Fabri, Universite Paris I - Pantheon Sorbonne, and Presidente de la Societe Europeenne de Droit International 'This is a marvellous book. It is a lucid, well balanced, informative and highly readable discussion of the complex interaction of human rights law and politics with economic globalisation. Drawing on interesting sources, it is a treasure house of telling quotes and suggestive leads, some of which are based on the author's personal experiences and interviews. David Kinley demonstrates a masterly grasp of the economic and political dimension woven in with his primary expertise in law. It is a must for anyone seeking to come to grips with the various human rights implications of globalisation.' Tom Campbell, Charles Sturt University