Topic 8: Health, Human Rights and Intervention

Question 1

human development

Answer 1

• complex and contested
• traditionally measured using growth of GDP
• complex relationship between human contentment and levels of wealth/income
• change for the better
• progress sustained over the long-term
• advancement of human well-being through improving people’s lives and developing their abilities or enabling choices

Question 2

economic indicators

Answer 2

• e.g. GDP per capita
• crude averages
• mask skews in income distribution
• i.e. majority of incomes fall well below the mean and very wealthy minority raises the average
• few measures concern informal economy
• countries with similar GDP vary in human indicators e.g. life expectancy

Question 3

development goals

Answer 3

improvements in:
- environmental quality
- health
- life expectancy
- human rights
seen by some (Rosling) as
more significant goals for development
- economic growth = best means of delivering them

Question 4

education

Answer 4

• central to economic development (human capital)
• literate population = asset to the economy
• also central to understanding/assertion of human rights and democratic participation
• enables everyone to participate effectively in society
• however, this view is not universally shared (attitudes to gender equality in education), so both access to education and standards of achievement vary greatly among countries (UNESCO)

Question 5

governments and social progress

Answer 5

• welfare states = high levels of social spending
• totalitarian regimes run by elites = low levels of spending on health and education

Question 6

IGOs and development targets/policies

Answer 6

• dominant IGOs (World Bank, IMF, WTO) have traditionally promoted neo-liberal views of development
• economic liberalism, reduced state intervention and unregulated private market
• based on adoption of free trade, privatisation of state assets/services and deregulation of financial markets (removing barriers)
• belief that private wealth ‘trickles down’ through the economy and poorest people eventually benefit
• recent programmes have been aimed at improving environmental quality, health, education and human rights (more direct impacts on people)

Question 7

human rights

Answer 7

the basic rights and freedoms that belong to which all human beings are entitled, regardless of nationality, gender, age, ethnic origin, religion or language

Question 8

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

Answer 8

• statement of intent
• framework for foreign policy statements to explain economic or military intervention
• not all states have signed the Declaration

Question 9

European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)

Answer 9

• drafted by nations of Council of Europe to help
  prevent conflict
• integrated into UK by Human Rights Act 1998
• ECHR remains controversial, some see it as an erosion of national sovereignty

Question 10

Geneva Convention

Answer 10

• forms a basis in international law for prosecuting individuals and organisations who commit war crimes
• endorsed by 196 countries
• few cases come to trial
• over 150 countries continue to engage in torture

Question 11

human rights vs. economic development

Answer 11

• some states frequently invoke human rights in
  international forums and debates
• e.g. USA and Western European nations
• impose sanctions on countries accused of human rights abuses (e.g. Russia, Iran, North Korea)
• use human rights arguments to justify interventions
• other states prioritise economic development over human rights and defend this approach
• economic development = long-term improvement in quality of life
• human rights are Western constructs not suited to all cultures
• e.g. Singapore gov. limits political and civil rights (freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association), still employs death penalty, enforces corporal punishment
• relative disregard for human rights has allowed Singapore to prosper since the 1970s

Question 12

corruption

Answer 12

• the abuse of entrusted power for private gain
• can be measured using the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) published by Transparency International
• scores countries from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean)
• high levels of corruption threaten human rights as rule of law can be subverted (laws are not applied fairly or equally)
• e.g. loss of public money in Lebanon, 43% of companies pay bribes

Question 13

geopolitical interventions

Answer 13

• actions of governments, IGOs and NGOs to bring about intended changes
• address development and human rights issues
• different types:
  1. development aid
  2. trade embargoes
  3. military aid
  4. indirect and direct military action

Question 14

development aid

Answer 14

• financial aid given to developing countries to support their long-term economic, political, social and environmental development
• comes from governments of developed countries, IGOs and NGOs
• can be bilateral or multilateral

Question 15

successes of development aid

Answer 15

• progress in dealing with life-threatening conditions (malaria)
• better diagnosis and treatment
• improvements in some aspects of human rights (gender equality)
• fall in maternal mortality rates
• more girls receiving an education

Question 16

criticisms of development aid

Answer 16

• aid dependency, when a country cannot perform many basic functions of government without overseas aid
• dependency hinders economic and political development
• efforts to increase ‘real aid’ (few strings attached)
• promotes corruption
• aid money diverted from its intended use for personal gain
• used by political elites at the expense of human rights and minority groups e.g. the poor or women
• money used to buy votes (to remain in power) and build strong military to repress citizens

Question 17

trade embargoes

Answer 17

• government or international bans that restrict trade with a particular country
• political tool used to encourage a country to change its policies or actions by impacting its economy or by reducing access to products e.g. military supplies
• used in response to international security threats or to force an end to human rights abuses
• can prohibit all trade or just ban trade of certain items e.g. weapons
• can be imposed by individual countries but are often put in place by IGOs e.g. UN or EU and supported by their member states
• e.g. Libya 2011 arms embargo from UN Security Council in response to human rights violations

Question 18

military aid

Answer 18

• money, weapons, equipment or expertise given to developing countries
• helps them to protect their borders, fight terrorism and combat piracy or drug/people trafficking
• sometimes given to opposition groups fighting for democracy against authoritarian governments

Question 19

indirect and direct military action

Answer 19

• considered a last resort (after all other options have failed) by most governments and IGOs
• direct action: air strikes or troops on the ground
• indirect action: providing military and political assistance e.g. training
• action sometimes taken at the request of the country concerned
• also taken to protect people from their own governments

Question 20

national sovereignty

Answer 20

the idea that each nation has a right to govern itself without interference from other nations