The Right to the Continuous Improvement of Living Conditions – a role for this right in challenging times?

The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights includes, as part of the right to an adequate standard of living, a little explored ‘right to the continuous improvement of living conditions’. 

This right, the subject of a new edited book by Jessie Hohmann and Beth Goldblatt, raises challenging and intriguing questions about its’ interpretation.  What does it mean to improve living conditions continuously, particularly in the context of finite resources and the significant global challenges of climate change, economic inequality and a global pandemic? 

In this author meets reader session, Dr. Julia Dehm (La Trobe) and Dr. Noam Peleg (UNSW) will engage with the editors to explore the themes of the book, within the context of the conference theme, ‘what is the good of law?’ Does this right have anything to offer our troubled world? The discussion, which goes to the heart of what constitutes a good life, will include insights from the editors and the books’ international contributors on topics including the rights of future generations, Indigenous world views, financial systems and debt, social reproduction, and international cooperation. It will cover critical concerns with the right and its realisation as well as utopian rethinking and strategic approaches to advancing these visions.

This is a session of the Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand (LSAANZ) 2021 Annual Event and is sponsored by the UTS Feminist Legal Research Group and the UTS International Law Research Cluster.


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