ABSTRACT
Globalization has long-term, differentiated, and sometimes unpredictable effects on inequality. Since 1980 inequality among countries and among individuals world-wide has been decreasing, while within-country inequality has increased. Human rights scholars who lament the effects of globalization should be equally concerned with contemporary economic protectionism, which is likely to increase both poverty and inequality. They should also be concerned by plutocracy, predation, and populism, especially state capture by the rich. Nevertheless, although international human rights law prescribes both minimal standards and standards of adequacy for economic and social rights, it is not up to human rights scholars or jurists to decide on acceptable levels of inequality. Such decisions should be left to policy makers. A better approach to remedying economic disparities than declaration of a human right to material equality is to pursue social policies promoting material equity or fairness.
