1932
0
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Annual Review of Law and Social Science
  4. Volume 11, 2015
  5. Article

Annual Review of Law and Social Science

Volume 11, 2015

Social Rights Constitutionalism: Negotiating the Tension Between the Universal and the Particular

Abstract

The increasing importance of social rights language in constitutional texts and in the politics of social provision and human security has triggered a voluminous academic literature. Despite its global origins, we argue, social rights language goes through a process of vernacularization, through which it transforms and is transformed by local politics. The process begins when particular rights are included in constitutional texts and continues when local groups take hold of that language to express their particular aspirations. The struggle to realize social rights is a political one, grounded in and pursued through local structures of demand. In the course of that struggle, rights acquire local particularities. At the same time, the global origins and universal language of rights can open possibilities for subordinate groups to challenge the status quo. Whether or not social rights constitutionalism in the end improves the situation for these groups or simply reinforces the status quo depends on the outcome of this vernacularization process, rather than on any a priori features of social rights language or social constitutionalism.

Keyword(s): constitutional rights, constitutionalism, economic rights, enforcement, human rights, social rights, vernacularization
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110413-030654
2015-11-03
2024-04-27
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/lawsocsci/11/1/annurev-lawsocsci-110413-030654.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110413-030654&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

Literature Cited

  1. Berger J. 2008. Litigating for social justice in post-apartheid South Africa: a focus on health and education. Courting Social Justice: Judicial Enforcement of Social and Economic Rights in the Developing World V Gauri, DM Brinks 38–99 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  2. Bergman M. 2009. Tax Evasion and the Rule of Law in Latin America: The Political Culture of Cheating and Compliance in Argentina and Chile University Park, PA: Pa. State Univ. Press
  3. Bilchitz D. 2013. Constitutionalism, the Global South, and economic justice. Constitutionalism of the Global South: The Activist Tribunals of India, South Africa, and Colombia D Bonilla Maldonado 41–94 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  4. Botero S. 2014. Judicial impact and court-promoted monitoring in Argentina Presented at 2014 Annu. Meet. Am. Polit. Sci. Assoc., Aug. 28–31, Washington, DC
  5. Brinks DM, Botero S. 2014. Inequality and the rule of law: ineffective rights in Latin American democracies. Reflections on Uneven Democracies: The Legacy of Guillermo O'Donnell DM Brinks, M Leiras, S Mainwaring 214–39 Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  6. Brinks DM, Forbath W. 2014. The role of courts and constitutions in the new politics of welfare in Latin America. Law and Development of Middle-Income Countries R Peerenboom, T Ginsburg 221–45 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  7. Brinks DM, Gauri V. 2014. The law's majestic equality? The distributive impact of judicializing social and economic rights. Perspect. Polit. 12:2375–93 [Google Scholar]
  8. Contesse J. 2014. Inter-American constitutionalism: the interaction between human rights and progressive constitutional law in Latin America. Law and Society in Latin America C Rodríguez Garavito 220–34 London: Routledge [Google Scholar]
  9. Dahl RA. 1957. Decision-making in a democracy: the Supreme Court as a national policy-maker. J. Public Law 6:279–95 [Google Scholar]
  10. Dixon R. 2007. Creating dialogue about socioeconomic rights: strong-form versus weak-form judicial review revisited. Int. J. Const. Law 5:3391–418 [Google Scholar]
  11. Drèze J. 2004. Democracy and the right to food. Econ. Polit. Wkly. April 24 1723–31
  12. Dugard J. 2013. Courts and structural poverty in South Africa: To what extent has the constitutional court expanded access and remedies to the poor?. Constitutionalism of the Global South: The Activist Tribunals of India, South Africa, and Colombia D Bonilla Maldonado 293–326 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  13. Dworkin R. 1986. Law's Empire Cambridge, MA: Belknap
  14. Edwards S, García Marín A. 2014. Constitutional rights and education: an international comparative study. Work. Pap. No. 20475, Natl. Bur. Econ. Res., Cambridge, MA. http://www.nber.org/papers/w20475
  15. Elkins Z, Ginsburg T, Simmons B. 2013. Getting to rights: treaty ratification, constitutional convergence, and human rights practice. Harvard Int. Law J. 54:161–95 [Google Scholar]
  16. Ellickson RC. 1991. Order Without Law: How Neighbors Settle Disputes Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press
  17. Epp CR. 1998. The Rights Revolution: Lawyers, Activists, and Supreme Courts in Comparative Perspective Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press
  18. Epstein L, Knight J. 1998. The Choices Justices Make. Washington, DC: CQ Press
  19. Ferraz OLM. 2011. Harming the poor through social rights litigation: lessons from Brazil. Texas Law Rev. 89:1643–68 [Google Scholar]
  20. Forbath W. (assist. Z Achmat, G Budlender, M Heywood) 2010. Cultural transformation, deep institutional reform, and ESR practice: South Africa's Treatment Action Campaign. Stones of Hope: How African Activists Reclaim Human Rights to Challenge Global Poverty L White, J Perelman 51–90 Stanford: Stanford Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  21. Gauri V. 2010. Customary law and economic outcomes in Indonesia. Hague J. Rule Law 2:175–94 [Google Scholar]
  22. Gauri V. 2011a. The cost of complying with human rights treaties: the convention on the rights of the child and basic immunization. Rev. Int. Organ. 6:133–56 [Google Scholar]
  23. Gauri V. 2011b. Fundamental rights and public interest litigation in India: Overreaching or underachieving?. Indian J. Law Econ. 1:171–93 [Google Scholar]
  24. Gauri V, Brinks DM. 2008. Courting Social Justice: Judicial Enforcement of Social and Economic Rights in the Developing World Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  25. Gauri V, Gloppen S. 2012. Human rights-based approaches to development: concepts, evidence, and policy. Polity 44:4485–503 [Google Scholar]
  26. Gauri V, Staton J, Vargas Cullell J. 2015. The Costa Rican Supreme Court's compliance monitoring system. J. Polit. 77:774–86 [Google Scholar]
  27. Gibson JL, Caldeira GA. 1995. The legitimacy of transnational legal institutions: compliance, support, and the European Court of Justice. Am. J. Polit. Sci. 39:459–89 [Google Scholar]
  28. Gibson JL, Caldeira GA, Baird VA. 1998. On the legitimacy of national high courts. Am. Polit. Sci. Rev. 92:348–58 [Google Scholar]
  29. Gloppen S, Roseman MJ. 2011. Litigating the right to health: Are transnational actors backseat driving?. Litigating Health Rights: Can Court Bring More Justice? AE Yamin, S Gloppen 246–72 Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  30. Government of the Republic of South Africa and Others v. Grootboom and Others (CCT11/00) [2000] ZACC 19; 2001 (1) SA 46; 2000 (11) BCLR 1169 (4 Oct. 2000.
  31. Hirschl R. 2004. Towards Juristocracy: The Origins and Consequences of the New Constitutionalism Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press
  32. Hirschl R. 2008. The judicialization of mega-politics and the rise of political courts. Annu. Rev. Polit. Sci. 11:93–118 [Google Scholar]
  33. Hirschl R. 2010. Constitutional Theocracy Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press
  34. Hoffmann FF, Bentes F. 2008. Accountability for social and economic rights in Brazil. Courting Social Justice: Judicial Enforcement of Social and Economic Rights in the Developing World V Gauri, DM Brinks 100–45 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  35. Jacobsohn GJ. 2010. Constitutional Identity Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press
  36. Kapiszewski D, Taylor M. 2013. Compliance: conceptualizing, measuring, and explaining adherence to judicial rulings. Law Soc. Inq. 38:803–35 [Google Scholar]
  37. Keck M, Sikkink K. 1998. Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press
  38. King J. 2012. Judging Social Rights Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  39. Landau D. 2012. The reality of social rights enforcement. Harvard Int. Law J. 53:1189–247 [Google Scholar]
  40. Law D, Versteeg M. 2011. The evolution and ideology of global constitutionalism. Calif. Law Rev. 99:1163–257 [Google Scholar]
  41. Law D, Versteeg M. 2012. The declining influence of the United States Constitution. N.Y. Univ. Law Rev. 87:762–858 [Google Scholar]
  42. Mendoza Beatriz Silvia y Otros c. Estado Nacional y Otros S/Daños y Perjuicios (daños derivados de la contaminación ambiental del Río Matanza-Riachuelo) M.1569.XL 2004.
  43. Merry SE. 2006. Human Rights and Gender Violence: Translating International Law into Local Justice Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press
  44. Minister of Health v. Treatment Action Campaign (5) SA 721 (CC) 2002.
  45. Moyn S. 2010. The Last Utopia Cambridge, MA: Belknap
  46. Odinkalu CA. 2008. The impact of economic and social rights in Nigeria: an assessment of the legal framework for implementing education and health as human rights. Courting Social Justice: Judicial Enforcement of Social and Economic Rights in the Developing World V Gauri, DM Brinks 183–223 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  47. Paupp TE. 2014. Redefining Human Rights in the Struggle for Peace and Development Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  48. Posner E. 2014. The Twilight of Human Rights Law Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press
  49. Rodríguez Garavito C. 2011. Beyond the courtroom: the impact of judicial activism on socioeconomic rights in Latin America. Texas Law Rev. 89:1669 [Google Scholar]
  50. Rodríguez Garavito C, Rodríguez Franco D. 2010. Cortes y Cambio Social: Cómo la Corte Constitucional transformó el desplazamiento forzado en Colombia Bogotá, Colomb: Dejusticia
  51. Rosenberg GN. 2008. The Hollow Hope: Can Courts Bring About Social Change? Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press, 2nd ed..
  52. Sabel C, Simon W. 2004. Destabilization rights: how public law litigation succeeds. Harvard Law Rev. 117:1015–101 [Google Scholar]
  53. Sen A. 1999. Development as Freedom New York: Random House
  54. Sen A. 2009. The Idea of Justice Cambridge, MA: Belknap
  55. Shankar S, Mehta PB. 2008. Courts and socioeconomic rights in India. Courting Social Justice: Judicial Enforcement of Social and Economic Rights in the Developing World V Gauri, DM Brinks 146–82 Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
  56. Simmons B. 2009. Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  57. Staton JK. 2010. Judicial Power and Strategic Communication in Mexico Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  58. Steiner H, Alston P, Goodman R. 2008. International Human Rights in Context: Law, Politics, Morals Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press
  59. Tamanaha BZ, Sage C, Woolcock M. 2013. Legal Pluralism and Development: Scholars and Practitioners in Dialogue Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press
  60. Thiruvengadam AK. 2013. Swallowing a bitter PIL? Reflections on progressive strategies for Public Interest Litigation in India. Transformative Constitutionalism: Comparing the Apex Courts of Brazil, India and South Africa O Vilhena, U Baxi, F Viljjoen 519–31 Pretoria, S. Afr: Pretoria Univ. Law Press [Google Scholar]
  61. Tushnet M. 2009. Weak Courts, Strong Rights: Judicial Review and Social Welfare Rights in Comparative Constitutional Law Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press
  62. Tyler TR. 2006. Why People Obey the Law Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press
  63. Tyler TR, Rasinski K. 1991. Procedural justice, institutional legitimacy, and the acceptance of unpopular US Supreme Court decisions: a reply to Gibson. Law Soc. Rev. 25:3621–30 [Google Scholar]
  64. Unnikrishnan v. State of AP 1 SCC 645 1993.
  65. Vanberg G. 2001. Legislative-judicial relations: a game-theoretic approach to constitutional review. Am. J. Polit. Sci. 45:2346–61 [Google Scholar]
  66. Van Cott DL. 2002. Constitutional reform in the Andes: redefining indigenous-state relations. Multiculturalism in Latin America: Indigenous Rights, Diversity, and Democracy R Sieder 45–73 New York: Palgrave Macmillan [Google Scholar]
  67. Versteeg M. 2015. Law versus norms: the impact of human rights treaties on constitutional rights. J. Inst. Theor. Econ. 171:87–111 [Google Scholar]
  68. Wilson B, Rodríguez Cordero JC. 2006. Legal opportunity structures and social movements: the effects of institutional change on Costa Rican politics. Comp. Polit. Stud. 39:325–51 [Google Scholar]
  69. Yamin AE, Gloppen S. 2011. Litigating Health Rights: Can Courts Bring More Justice to Health? Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press
  70. Yamin AE, Parra Vera O, Gianella C. 2011. Colombia. Judicial protection of the right to health: An elusive promise?. Litigating Health Rights: Can Courts Bring More Justice to Health? AE Yamin, S Gloppen 103–31 Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110413-030654
Loading
Social Rights Constitutionalism: Negotiating the Tension Between the Universal and the Particular
Annual Review of Law and Social Science 11, 289 (2015); https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110413-030654
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110413-030654
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110413-030654
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error