Globalization and Human Rights

1. Globalization and Human Rights LSJ/SIS 322: Human Rights in Latin America Spring 2009

2. Juan Luis Guerra, “El Costo de la Vida”“The Cost of Living” The cost of living Is rising again The peso’s dropping, so far down you can’t even see it And you can’t eat beans Nor a pound of rice, or a quarter of coffee Nobody cares what you think Could it be because here we don’t speak English? El costo de la vida sube otra vez el peso que baja, ya ni se ve y las habichuelas no se pueden comer ni una libra de arroz, ni una cuarta de café a nadie le importa qué piensa usted será porque aquí no hablamos inglés

3. Juan Luis Guerra, “El Costo de la Vida”“The Cost of Living” Ah, ah, it’s true Do you understand? Do you, do you? And the price of gas is up again The peso’s fallen so far, you can’t even see it anymore And democracy can’t grow If corruption has it in check Nobody cares what you think Could it be because here we don’t speak French? Ah, ah es verdad do you understand? Do you, do you? Y la gasolina sube otra vez el peso que baja, ya ni se ve y la democracia no puede crecer si la corrupción juega ajedrez a nadie le importa qué piensa usted será porque aquí no hablamos francés

4. Juan Luis Guerra, “El Costo de la Vida”“The Cost of Living” Ah, ah vous parlez? Ah, ah non, Monsieur Eh! We’re just a pinprick of a country Between the sea and the sky Five hundred years later A burning race, Black, White, and Taína (indigenous) But who discovered whom? Ah, ah vous parlez? ah, ah non, Monsieur ¡Eh!... Somos un agujero en medio del mar y el cielo quinientos años después una raza encendida negra, blanca y taína ¿pero quién descubrió a quién?

5. Ay, the cost of living you see, going up, you see The peso’s going down you see, can’t even see it anymore And medicine? you see, it’s going backwards Here there isn’t even a cure for a callous on your foot Ay, ki-iki-iki, eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é And now unemployment, it bit me too No one cares, no Eh, you see, it’s that we don’t speak English Mitsubishi doesn’t care neither does Chevrolet Ay, the cost of living eh, ya ves, pa’rriba tú ves y el peso que baja eh, ya ves, pobre ni se ve y la medicina eh, ya ves, camina al revés aquí no se cura eh, ya ves, ni un callo en el pie Ay, ki-iki-iki, eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é y ahora el desempleo me mordió también a nadie le importa, no eh, ya ves, pues no hablamos inglés ni a la Mitsubishi ni a la Chevrolet

6. Corruption’s on the rise You see, on the rise And the peso is falling So far down you can’t even see it anymore And crime Yeah, you see, it caught me this time Here there isn’t even a cure For a callous on your foot Ay, ki-iki-iki, eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é And now unemployment, it bit me too No one cares, no It’s that we don’t speak English Mitsubishi doesn’t care neither does Chevrolet La corrupción pa’rriba eh, ya ves, pa’rriba tú ves y el peso que baja eh, ya, pobre ni se ve y la delincuencia eh, ya, me pilló esta vez aquí no se cura ni un callo en el pie Ay, ki-iki-iki eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é y ahora el desempleo me mordió también a nadie le importa, no pues no hablamos inglés ni a la Mitsubishi ni a la Chevrolet

7. The recession’s on the rise You see, on the rise And the peso is falling So far down you can’t even see it anymore And medicine Is going backward Here there’s not even a cure For a callous on your foot. Ay, ki-iki-iki eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é And unemployment, it bit me too No one cares, no It’s that we don’t speak English Mitsubishi doesn’t care neither does Chevrolet La recesión pa-arriba eh, ya, pa-rriba tú ves y el peso que baja eh, ya, pobre ni se ve y la medicina Camina al reves Aquí no se cura Ni un callo en el pie Ay, ki-iki-iki eh, ya ves, ay ki-iki-é Y el desempleo me mordió también a nadie le importa, no pues no hablamos inglés ni a la Mitsubishi ni a la Chevrolet

8. Globalization and human rights Widespread perception in Latin America that globalization’s rules biased in favor of Northern governments and corporations But does a strong tide lift all boats?

9. Globalization and human rights Is globalization good or bad for human rights? (Neo) Liberal position: global economic and political integration good for HR: • Will reduce global inequalities (Thomas Friedman, The World is Flat) • Will enable more civil society leverage over abusive states Alter-globalization position: global integration merely reiterates existing hierarchies of exploitation • Comparative advantage/ race to the bottom • Weakens states’ ability to promote human rights • Enables corporate actors to cut ties to states Ultimately, “good” or “bad” not the right question

10. Globalization and human rights Debates about globalization: challenge for human rights advocates • Extremely polarized debate • Human rights movement staked its early legitimacy on being politically neutral • As understanding of rights broaden, this “apolitical” stance called into question “Free thinkers” article: AI broadens its mandate • Is there a danger to taking on economic structures?

11. Shifting understandings of human rights • Past adversary: “secret” practices of states • responsibility not in question • Abuses not defended • challenge was relaying information • globalization (info. flows) was a boon, enabling transnational advocacy • Present adversary: structures of unclear accountability • How do we hold resource-poor states responsible for failure to enforce social/economic rights? • How do we hold resource-poor states responsible for abuses by private actors upon whom they depend? • Corporate actors=new target, but mechanisms to hold states accountable much better developed

12. Corporate accountability • “Hard law” offers limited tools • “Soft law” includes voluntary codes and initiatives, consumer awareness campaigns, certification schemes • Downsides: • Fox tending the henhouse • Whose information is credible? • Vast power differences • Upsides: • Codes of conduct are useful, but require action by NGOs, consumers to hold them to codes (Rodriguez-Garavito 2006)

13. Corporate accountability • Use of market-based campaigning raises new concerns for human rights • Role of critic? Product promoter? • Independence • Credibility of information