International Human Rights Law and Destitution: An Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Perspective

This book explores destitution from the perspective of International Human Rights Law and, more specifically, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The experience of destitution correlates to the non-realisation of a range of economic, social and cultural rights. However, destitution has not been defined from this perspective. Consequently, the nexus between destitution and the denial of economic, social and cultural rights remains unrecognised within academia and policy and practice. This book expressly addresses this issue and in so doing renders the nexus between destitution and the non-realisation of these rights visible. The book proposes a new human-rights-based definition of destitution, composed of two parts. The rights which must be realised– the component rights – and the level of realisation of these rights which must be met – the destitution threshold – to avoid destitution. This human rights-based understanding of destitution is then applied to a UK case study to highlight the relationship between government policy and destitution, to illustrate how destitution manifests itself, and to make recommendations – founded upon engendering the realisation of economic, social and cultural rights – aimed towards addressing destitution.

This book will have global and cross-sectoral appeal to anti-poverty advocates, policy makers, as well as to researchers, academics and students in the fields of human rights law, poverty studies, and social policy.

Chapters
1. Conceptualising Destitution
2. The Level of Rights Realisation Required to Avoid Destitution
3. The Rights Required to Avoid Destitution
4. Austerity: The Context of Rising Destitution in the United Kingdom
5. Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Destitution in the United Kingdom
6. Addressing Destitution in the United Kingdom Using Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

This book has received the following Reviews:
- Colm O’Cinneide ‘International Human Rights Law and Destitution: An Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Perspective’ (2024) 31 (3) Journal of Social Security Law, 306-308 https://uk.westlaw.com/Document/IEFC9C4C0A61011EFAF858D719FEFC9FB/View/FullText.html
--- ‘Graham’s book makes for an excellent addition to the literature on poverty and rights. It is impressively argued, very thoughtful and well-written—and will resonate with anyone interested in the pressing issues he raises'

- Mehran Idris Khan ‘Book Review of Luke D. Graham, International Human Rights Law and Destitution’ (2023) 22 (4) Chinese Journal of International Law, 929-932. https://doi.org/10.1093/chinesejil/jmad045
--- ‘an authoritative examination of destitution through the lens of international human rights law, focusing on economic, social and cultural rights’

- Muneeb Khan and Yen-Chiang Chang ‘International Human Rights Law and Destitution: An Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Perspective by Luke D. Graham (review)’ (2023) 45 (4) Human Rights Quarterly, 729-731. https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2023.a910494
---‘The author's approach has not been widely explored in academia or policy and practice, making this book a valuable contribution to the field’