Social rights and sustainable development: a two-way street?

Abstract

Sustainable development concerns the future perspective of natural systems in combination with the social and policy challenges faced by humanity. The three pillars of sustainable development (socio-cultural, economic, environmental) are closely interconnected. This paper examines the role of the social pillar of sustainable development. In particular, social rights aim at the establishment of degrees of social equity and security. Viewed as a component of human rights arising from the social contract, social rights are closely linked to notions of governance associated with social responsibility and social obligations. Their major development took place in the period after the Second World War. In this paper we will focus on employment, education and health care. While the pillars of sustainable development are interconnected, welfare policies are also obviously dependent on economic and cultural factors. We argue that social rights enhance social capital under certain conditions. More generally, we argue that sustainable development and social responsibility are mutually reinforcing. The purpose of this paper is, firstly, to discuss the role of social rights in the promotion of sustainable development and, secondly, to examine the policy paths and governance modes that enhance both social sustainability and sustainable development.