Individual Rights versus Economic Growth

Wulf Gaertner

Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 2008, vol. 9, issue 3, 389-400

Abstract: Should human beings who have been granted basic rights be allowed to bargain them away? In some countries, most prominently in China, special export zones exist where workers are required to give up several of their rights in order to be employed. Are there serious objections to such renouncements? The first part of this paper discusses some of the pros and cons. In the second part, the results of a questionnaire experiment are reported where the students were asked to evaluate a situation where the reinstatement of basic human rights had to be weighed against an aid programme of economic reconstruction leading to growth and greater efficiency. As far as German students are concerned, the issue of exercising basic rights has lost quite a bit of its original support over a period of roughly 15 years. Results from other European nations are also reported.

Keywords: Individual rights; Social choice; Questionnaire experiments; Economic efficiency; Growth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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DOI: 10.1080/14649880802236607

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