'Bread and Roses': Economic Justice and Constitutional Rights

21 Pages Posted: 4 Mar 2015

See all articles by Colleen Sheppard

Colleen Sheppard

McGill University, Faculty of Law

Date Written: February 27, 2015

Abstract

English Abstract: Socio-economic inequality and poverty constitute critical human rights challenges in an increasingly globalized world. Not only do they result in material inequities that affect everyday life; they also undermine psychological and social well-being. In this article, issues of economic injustice and social exclusion are examined through the lens of constitutional rights. It explores three different dimensions of the nexus between economic justice and constitutionalism, including: (i) the role of law in creating socio-economic inequality and poverty; (ii) the extent to which economic justice is addressed at the interstices of civil and political rights and freedoms; and (iii) the potential for the concept of social inclusion to assist in the reimagining of constitutional law and economic justice.

Spanish Abstract: La desigualdad socioeconómica y la pobreza constituyen desafíos críticos a los derechos humanos en un mundo cada vez más globalizado. No sólo dan lugar a desigualdades materiales que afectan a la vida cotidiana, sino que también socavan el bienestar psicológico y social. En este artículo se analizan los problemas de la injusticia económica y la exclusión social a través del prisma de los derechos constitucionales. Se exploran tres dimensiones diferentes del nexo entre justicia económica y constitucionalismo, incluyendo: (i) el papel del derecho en la creación de desigualdad socioeconómica y pobreza; (ii) el grado en que la justicia económica se aborda en los intersticios de los derechos y libertades civiles y políticos; y (iii) el potencial del concepto de inclusión social para ayudar en la reinvención de la ley constitucional y la justicia económica.

Keywords: Socioeconomic inequality, poverty, constitutional rights, social and economic rights, social inclusion, Desigualdad socioeconomica, pobreza, derechos constitucionales, derechos sociales y económicos, inclusión social

Suggested Citation

Sheppard, Colleen, 'Bread and Roses': Economic Justice and Constitutional Rights (February 27, 2015). Oñati Socio-Legal Series, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2015, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2571246

Colleen Sheppard (Contact Author)

McGill University, Faculty of Law ( email )

3644 Peel Street
Montreal H3A 1W9, Quebec H3A 1W9
Canada
514 398-5098 (Phone)

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