Interrogate 01: Understanding How the Economy Affects Human Rights
Behind every act of injustice that affects an individual, a family or a community, there is a system that allows it to take place. This note describes the first step to Decoding Injustice, which is to interrogate how specific events are caused or enabled by a huge source of injustices today: the dominant economic system. Here, activists and changemakers will find the fundamentals to identify the root causes of - and responsibilities for - the injustices that are coded into the current system.
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the funda- mental injustices at the core of our economic system. But our economies were in crisis long before COVID-19 struck. Extreme inequality — the vast gap between rich and poor — is a reality in practically every country, including the wealthestiest. In recent decades, this gap has been growing more pronounced. By even the most optimistic estimates, even before the pandemic, nearly 10% of the world’s population (734 million people) were already extremely poor – surviving on less than 1.90 USD a day — and almost half of humanity was living on less than 5.50 USD a day. In contrast, by 2021, the 10 wealthiest people in the world collectively own 1.5 trillion USD — which is enough to bring everyone in the world above the official poverty line several times over. The COVID-19 crisis is making these glaring inequalities even worse.
Meanwhile, the global system that enriches the few by exploit- ing the many is also heavily reliant on environmental extraction and destruction. This has led to the climate crisis that we are currently struggling to confront. Millions of people around the world are already climate refugees, while 99% of us breathe polluted air and 7 million people die every year because of it. Areas of the globe – mostly those whose populations have contributed the least to climate change – are fast becoming uninhabitable. There is no clearer indication of how inhumane, lopsided and unethical the system is than the fact that short-term profit is prized more highly than the continued feasibility of human life on our planet.
Many people are starting to question our current economic system. But if we are to change it, we need to understand the forces that shape it — and they are complex, multidimensional and dynamic. These forces are so deeply embedded in the way things work that they are often difficult to see and make sense of. In other words, they are “coded” into the system. Like a cryptic message, they remain incomprehensible to most people. To some of us, they may even seem like natural laws, or “just the way things are”.
If we are going to decode the injustices in our economies, we first need to map out the various elements in the system and connect the dots between them. This helps us to unpack how, together, they create the particular dynamics that sustain injustice. In this note, we introduce some key elements of our eco- nomic system and take stock of the trends of the past 40 years that have shaped the way they interact. We also discuss how the trends can be analyzed through a human rights lens and outline some of the tools needed to do so.
Problem Mapping
Before you get started with Decoding Injustice, prepare a problem map that unpacks your focus issue in more depth. Here are some different templates:
- Problem Tree (Stories for Impact)
- Causes Diagram (by Mobilisation Lab, The Commons Social Change Library)
- Iceberg (by Mobilisation Lab, The Commons Social Change Library)
If there is another tool you are already familiar with, you're welcome to use that instead.
Tips and tricks
Focusing on problems turns our attention to the things that can, and need to, change. If we don’t spend time framing problems, we:
- Focus on ‘solving’ the wrong problems
- Keep using ‘solutions’ that aren’t working
- Get stuck with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach
A problem map creates a visual representation of a problem, and this can help us to “see” it differently and build a shared understanding of its nature and effects. With this understanding, we can better define solutions.
There is no one right or wrong way to draw a problem map. But, in general, the more specific you are, the more valuable the map is in uncovering the hidden causes underneath the problem. Use the prompt questions in the templates to help you drill down into the different dimensions of the problem.
Getting different perspectives on the problem is also essential. Take some time to get input from your community on the problem. If feasible, invite others to draw the map with you. Alternatively, share the draft map with a few people and ask for feedback.