The Economics of Human Rights: Using the Living Income/Fair Price Approach to Combat Poverty

ISBN-13: 9783030591656 / Angielski / Twarda / 2021 / 186 str.

Ruud Bronkhorst

Spis treści

1.What is ‘Fair’: different opinions.- 2.Ethics: Human rights and basic needs.- 3.Concepts derived from the Human Rights: Living Wage and Living Income.- 4.Fair Wages, what does it mean?.- 5.Are market and equilibrium prices ethical?.- 6 Living Wage, Living Income and Fair Price further explained.- 7 Poverty lines; how to use them for poverty alleviation.- 8 How a different way of calculating in the production chain can lead to a more equal share for all stakeholders.- 9 How to calculate Fair Wages.- 10.Effects payment of fair wages and fair prices on socio-economic development.- 11.Conclusion economic and social effects.- 12.Broader context.- 13.Introduction.- 14.About necessity and possibilities to pay fair prices to small farmers.- 15.Fair price for agricultural products.- 16.Steps to be taken to calculate fair prices.- 17.Case studies.- 18.Summary case studies.- 19.Export products.- 20.The role of Governments and International organizations.- 21.Socio-economic effects in Agriculture of the payment of living wages, living income and fair prices.- 22.Fair Prices and other development issues.- 23.Alternative approaches.- 24.Summary Effects payment of fair prices in Agriculture.- 25.Concluding remarks.

O autorze

Ruud Bronkhorst is a Rural Development Economist working on the issue of Fair Prices to small-scale producers.  He is Chairman of InfoBridge Foundation and Adviser to some small NGOs.  His work experience includes FAO, WFP, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Fair Trade Sector.

Blurb

This book provides new insights into combining economic theory and ethics, and how to formulate policies to combat the roots of poverty. Since a large part of the world’s working population is underpaid, and does not have enough income to feed themselves and their families, there is a need for an alternative approach to producer prices than the usual neo-classical approach with its emphasis on market and equilibrium prices. This book is an introduction to the Living Income / Fair Price approach, a price theory based on ethics and Universal Human Rights. The book explains why there is a need for a paradigm change in our thinking about prices by explaining why the usual market prices rarely are equilibrium prices. Besides market disturbing elements like monopolies and oligopolies, the needs of the poorest parts of the population are not taken into consideration because they are not reflected in the effective demand. This means that the way our producers are paid needs a drastic overhaul, especially in a critical area like food production. An important part of the book is devoted to the need to pay, and the possibilities for paying, a decent price to smallholder farmers. The underpayment of small food producers means they have no possibility to invest and are not able to prepare for the future. This is even more pressing now that climate change demands that every farmer must adjust to changing circumstances and adapt new production methods. Although primarily meant for economists, the book meant also to stimulate discussion amongst those involved in agricultural policies, both in developing and developed countries.