During the global economic crisis of 2008, countries around the world used national policy spaces to respond to the economic crisis in ways that shed new light on the possibilities for linkages between international trade and human rights. This book introduces the idea of policy space as an innovative way to reframe recent developments in global governance. It brings together a wide-ranging group of leading experts in international law, trade, human rights, political economy, international relations, and public policy who have been asked to reflect on this important development in globalization. Their multidisciplinary contributions provide explanations for why the global landscape for national policy space has changed, clearly illustrate instances of this change, and project the future paths for policy development in social and economic policy spaces, especially with reference to linkages between international trade and human rights in countries from the Global North as well as Brazil, China, and India.

During the global economic crisis of 2008, countries around the world used national policy spaces to respond to the crisis in ways that shed new light on the possibilities for linkages between international trade and human rights. This book introduces the idea of policy space as an innovative way to reframe recent developments in global governance. It brings together a wide-ranging group of leading experts in international law, trade, human rights, political economy, international relations, and public policy who have been asked to reflect on this important development in globalization. Their multidisciplinary contributions provide explanations for the changing global landscape for national policy space, clearly illustrate instances of this change, and project the future paths for policy development in social and economic policy spaces, especially with reference to linkages between international trade and human rights in countries from the Global North as well as Brazil, China, and India.

This book offers original contributions to the debate over the issue of equality of opportunity. Lesley Jacobs sets out a theory of equality of opportunity that presents equal opportunities as a normative device for the regulation of competition for scarce resources. He then considers the practical ways that courts, legislatures or public policy makers can address racial, class or gender injustices. Jacobs examines standardized tests, affirmative action, workfare, universal health-care, comparable worth, and the economic consequences of divorce in this context.

In this book Lesley Jacobs challenges the view, now prevalent in North America and Western Europe, that the primary function of a nation's social policy should be to provide support only for the poorest people instead of social services accessible to all its citizens. In an interesting and distinctive argument he develops and defends the idea that access to basic rights such as education, health care, adequate housing, and income support can provide a solid moral foundation for redistributive state welfare programmes, maintaining that any nation which purports to take rights to basic liberties seriously must also be fully committed to the principles of the welfare state. Dr Jacob's thesis addresses a pressing political and philosophical problem at the heart of the policies and structure of the modern state.

This book offers original contributions to the debate over the issue of equality of opportunity. Lesley Jacobs sets out a theory of equality of opportunity that presents equal opportunities as a normative device for the regulation of competition for scarce resources. He then considers the practical ways that courts, legislatures or public policy makers can address racial, class or gender injustices. Jacobs examines standardized tests, affirmative action, workfare, universal health-care, comparable worth, and the economic consequences of divorce in this context.

Unfulfilled legal needs are at a tipping point in much of the Canadian justice system. The Justice Crisis assesses what is and isn’t working in efforts to strengthen a fundamental right of democratic citizenship: access to civil and family justice. Contributors to this wide-ranging overview of recent empirical research address key issues: the extent and cost of unmet legal needs; the role of public funding; connections between legal and social exclusion among vulnerable populations; the value of new legal pathways; the provision of justice services beyond the courts and lawyers; and the need for a culture change within the justice system.