The aim of this study is to review central debates on human rights within the social sciences and humanities with a view to enumerating the present state of knowledge about human rights and development. The central topics discussed in the report are: The development of human rights norms; cultural relativism versus universal human rights; human rights and economic development trade-offs; conflicts between different categories of rights, relations between human rights and political development; ethical and practical aspects of monitoring and reporting on human rights respect; election monitoring, aid conditionality and the linkage of human rights and development. The new challenges facing the field of human rights research in the post-cold war era are concerns figuring centrally in the discussions. The report contains a bibliography.

Lise Rakner

Professor at University of Bergen and Affiliated Research Professor

Recent CMI publications: