‘Rights’ And ‘Obligations’: Practical Implications And Clarification Of Use

This chapter will address certain features of rights by discussing the difference between enjoying the substance of rights and enjoying rights as such, and introducing the concept of ‘discretionary allocation of resources’. This is necessary both for general clarification, and particularly because the World Bank claims that it does promote human rights through its policies, without specifically using the term ‘rights’. Below, I will contend that this is a misunderstanding of what is required for the respect and promotion of human rights. However, before going into an in-depth discussion of the nature of rights, it is necessary to elaborate my understanding of the concept of ‘obligations’.