economic and social rights

National Academies Report Considers "Free-Market Capitalism" a Cause of Poor Health Outcomes in U.S.
January 10, 2013
The U.S. population is in far poorer health and lives shorter lives than people in other high-income countries, according to a new report by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine released yesterday. This is hardly surprising to anyone working for the human right to health in... Keep Reading »
Only Human - Op-Ed on the National Significance of Vermont's Human Rights Successes
July 18, 2012
What do Vermont's recent human rights breakthroughs on health care and budget policy mean in a national context? Judith Levine comments in Seven Days, a Vermont magazine. [...W]hat’s most remarkable about both the health care law and the people-first budget is their implicit rejection... Keep Reading »
Toward a People's Budget Based on Human Rights - Vermont's Campaign to Put People First
January 31, 2012
The Vermont Worker's Center, in partnership with NESRI, proposes a fundamental shift in the way the state is spending and raising public money. We present a proposal for a new approach to budget and revenue policies, a People's Budget framework, which prioritizes people's needs and is... Keep Reading »
Vermont Workers' Center Calls for Rebuilding with Human Rights in the Wake of Hurricane Irene and the Economic Crisis
September 13, 2011
Tropical storm Irene hit Vermont hard. Many Vermonters, particularly among our marginalized communities, have endured large-scale destruction and suffering. Yet Vermonters are also showing incredible solidarity, caring and resolve to action. In the weeks following the storm, Vermont Workers’... Keep Reading »
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Calls on States to Protect Economic & Social Rights Against Market Pressures
September 12, 2011
In today's opening session of the Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, expressed concern about the risk of retrogression on economic and social rights and called on governments to protect people's rights against market pressures. Below is an excerpt of her... Keep Reading »
King's Fight for Economic Rights: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Cornel West on MLK
August 26, 2011
From a National Journal interview with Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., reflecting on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of the dedication of a new memorial to the civil rights leader on the National Mall. "Dr. King ... marched for legislation that changed America—public... Keep Reading »
A Human Rights Analysis of the Federal Debt Debates from the U.S. Human Rights Network
August 26, 2011
The U.S. Human Rights Network released a podcast that examines the human rights implications of the recent federal debates about U.S. government debt and the debt ceiling. James Heintz,  Associate Director and Associate Research Professor at the Political Economy Research Institute at the... Keep Reading »
The People's Budget Campaign on TV: Conversations with the Vermont Workers' Center and NESRI
July 27, 2011
The Vermont Workers' Center's new campaign, the People's Budget Campaign, is receiving increasing public attention. In two TV interviews, the Workers' Center and NESRI talk about the background of the campaign, last year's People's Budget Report that demonstrated how the state of Vermont fails... Keep Reading »
Workers’ Center Takes On ‘People’s Budget’
June 13, 2011
MONTPELIER — A nonprofit grassroots group that rallied thousands of Vermonters to support health care reform legislation with its “health care is a human right” campaign is laying the groundwork for another political push with a different focus: state budget and tax policies. The... Keep Reading »
It's No New Deal
March 25, 2011
In response to claims by officials that the Obama Administration would take a new, supportive stance toward economic and social rights, the Human Rights at Home Campaign today issued a statement noting that no new deal was on offer for the people of the United States. Last week NESRI had... Keep Reading »