Linking the Power of Economics to the Realisation of Human Rights : The WTO as a Special Case

So far, the relation between economics and human rights is not given very much attention. The present paper extensively deals with the manifold relations between the two fields, from the effects of world wide liberalisation of markets on human rights, to the economic root causes of conflicts, and the (positive) role companies can play in terms of, inter alia, the creation of the human capital which is needed to make economic enterprises flourishing. Special attention is given to the linkages between the working domains of the World Trade Organization and the human fields. The normative overlap is discussed, as well as the 'Doha-round' concerning the position of developing countries in the free trade world, while it is also discussed how WTO supervisory procedures should/can be used to incorporate human rights notions