This title was first published in 2003. Theories of human rights are important, as they can be a means to challenging entrenched and oppressive power. These key essays take a philosophical approach to human rights, questioning dominant theories and offering different perspectives on their application.

On 16 December 1966 the United Nations adopted the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This was the first global treaty that established legal obligations on states to protect a range of important economic, social and cultural rights. 40 years later the vast majority of States have ratified this treaty. Despite this history, there remains considerable debate, both within the literature and within the international community generally, about the concept and application of economic, social and cultural rights. This collection gives a coherent analysis of many of the key issues, both in concept and in application, relevant to economic, social and cultural rights.
The authors of the chapters, many of whom are leading scholars in their fields with significant experience in practice, examine how the obligations to protect these rights have been applied today, including their application to the Security Council and to non-state actors, as well as in the context of development and dispossession. They provide important universal and regional comparative perspectives on the development and implementation of these rights, and consider some of the contemporary issues relating to these rights, such as trade, health and social security.

The Roles of International Law in Development provides an in-depth analysis of the relationship between public international law and development. Unlike the existing body of literature on public international law, this book investigates how international law and development interact, and evaluates how significant a role international law plays in development. Bringing together a collection of perspectives from contributors working across multiple development fields, the chapters explore the relevance and applicability of international law to particular sectors and issues implicated in development activities. They analyse how international law rules and processes can influence procedural and substantive aspects of development policies as these regulate various forms of financial support, trade, technical assistance, and policy dialogue. They also explore whether, and how, development could be more effective and yield more equitable and sustainable outcomes if the relevant and applicable rules of international law were better understood, consistently incorporated, and appropriately applied in development activities. One of the foundational premises of this book is that development policy and practice should be grounded more systematically in international law, rejecting the notion that development policy is a 'self-contained' regime operating in a legal vacuum. By reflecting the substantive rules of international law, this in turn anchors development in international legal accountability.

Cases & Materials on International Law is a topical and engaging companion for study, offering broad coverage on public international law and placing disputes directly within the context of contemporary debate. The book contains the essential cases and materials that students need in order to fully understand and analyse the international legal system, drawing on a truly global range of jurisdictions and sources. Expert author commentary and notes place selected extracts within the wider legal framework and explain the complexities of the principles of law to students. The sixth edition includes expanded discussion of developing areas, including UN resolutions on climate change and international environmental law, new material from the International Law Commission, and coverage of major events, such as the annexation of Crimea, the legal context for Scottish independence and the UK's exit from the European Union, and the United Nations Security Council's Resolution on Malaysia Airlines MH17.