The Realisation of Human Rights in Societies Beyond Growth

British Academy/Wellcome Trust Conferences bring together scholars and specialists from around the world to explore themes related to health and wellbeing.

Economic growth plays a central role in driving climate and socio-ecological crises, primarily due to the ongoing exploitation of natural resources for consumption. Despite its common association with material prosperity, economic growth is also tied to increasing levels of wealth and other forms of inequality, often at the expense of social and environmental justice.

Amidst concern that the prevailing ‘green growth’ model advanced under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not avert these environmental and socioeconomic crises, increasing attention has been given to alternative post-growth approaches such as degrowth, buen vivir, doughnut economics, and ecological swaraj. These post-growth proposals have paid limited attention to human rights, however the international human rights community is beginning to explore human rights implications of these visions.

Bringing together internationally leading scholars and practitioners from the human rights and post-growth fields, this British Academy conference, hosted by the Human Rights Centre, Essex University, will explore these emerging intersections between human rights and post-growth proposals. The goals are to unpack the relationship between economic growth and human rights; identify opportunities and challenges for human rights in post-growth strategies; and explore pathways to realising human rights while living within planetary boundaries.

Conference convenor:

Judith Bueno de Mesquita, University of Essex

Speakers include:

• Meghna Abraham, Centre for Economic and Social Rights
• Dr Godswill Agbaitoro, University of Essex
• Brontie Ansell, University of Essex
• Cristina Blanco, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru; University of Essex
• Dr Koldo Casla, University of Essex
• Sergio Chaparro Hernandez, Tax Justice Network; LSE
• Professor Danwood Chirwa, University of Cape Town
• Professor Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights; University of Louvain
• Dr Claiton Fyock, University of Essex
• Professor Jessie Hohmann, University of Technology, Sydney
• Dr Emily Jones, Newcastle University
• Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh; Vikalp Sangam; Global Tapestry of Alternatives
• Professor Sandra Liebenberg, Stellenbosch University
• Professor Roopa Madhav, National Law University Delhi
• Professor Aoife Nolan, University of Nottingham
• Dr Birsha Ohdedar, SOAS, University of London
• Dr Jackie Dugard, Columbia University
• Judith Bueno de Mesquita, University of Essex
• Professor Jules Pretty, University of Essex
• Kate Raworth, Oxford University
• Dr Margot Salomon, London School of Economics
• Professor Annalisa Savaresi, University of Sterling
• Professor Ted Schrecker, Newcastle University
• Professor Sigrun Skogly, University of Lancaster
• Dr Stephen Turner, University of Essex
• Dr Remco Van de Pas, Centre for Planetary Health Policy; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp
• Dr Tara Van Ho, University of Essex
• Professor Wouter Vandenhole, Antwerp University

Conference ticket prices:

• In-person: admission £32.75 per day (£65.50 for both days).
• Online admission: Free.
• We are able to offer a free place for 15 participants from academia, with PhD candidates particularly encouraged to apply. If you would like to apply for a free place, please email [email protected] by 15 March.

If you have any questions about this event, please refer to our events FAQs or email [email protected]

Image: Photo of person, human, crowd, and parade by Francesca Di Pasqua