Much has been written about the development of international
human rights, the concepts, mechanisms and their implementation,
from legal and institutional perspectives. Arguably, however, there has
been a paucity of literature on the subject from a critical social policybased
perspective and hesitancy by policy- makers and analysts alike to
challenge threats to a rights- based approach to human development.
Through the lens of critical social science, the various chapters in this
book analyse the form and development of concepts of universal rights
and existing international human rights mechanisms, their strengths
and weaknesses, and their impact on social policy, human welfare and
international development.