The WIEGO network and the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, through its Justice & Human Rights Domain, plan to develop a program of research and action on economic rights of the working poor. The December 3 workshop is intended to begin a process of exploring and defining the cutting-edge issues, debates, and gaps in thinking and practice on economic rights, especially as they pertain to the working poor.

By convening a small group of key “thinkers and doers” working on economic rights, we hope to gain greater clarity on the state of theory and practice on economic rights of the working poor, and jointly develop a critical set of issues for future collaboration among researchers and practitioners.

More specifically, our hope is that the workshop will address the following questions:

1.What has each of us been doing in the field of economic rights? How does our work relate to the economic rights of the working poor?
2.Who are the other key thinkers and practitioners in the field of economic rights?
3.What are the key documents on economic rights theory and key examples of economic rights practice?
4.What are the critical debates and cutting edge practices in the field?
5.In the cases of good practice that each of us knows, how has the case been made for the economic rights of the working poor?
1.what category of working poor person/s did the case cover?
2.what normative framework was invoked – international and/or national?
3.who was considered the duty bearer?
4.what legal argument was used?
1.obligations of an employer?
2.right to life and livelihood?
3.right to work?
4.evidence of discrimination?
5.evidence of disadvantage or vulnerability?

While this workshop is by invitation only, interested individuals should contact Johanna Chao Kreilick at the Hauser Center (johanna_kreilick@hks.harvard.edu) for follow-up information.