Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the connections between human rights and justice, and considers the philosophical, economic, and social lenses through which these phenomena have evolved over time. It argues that the stock-in-trade of human rights advocates has long been premised on invoking principles of "fair and just treatment as a basis for the treatment of human beings in politically, culturally, and economically contested contexts." The book provides a fine-grained analysis of the winding and tumultuous journey experienced by norm entrepreneurs in shaping a global Right to Development. It shows that UN efforts to claim the "Right to Development" as an indivisible element of fundamental human rights met with intense opposition. The book considers how human rights norms are translated into local social practices in specific contexts.