Human Rights, Identity and the Common Good: Revisiting the Right to Development in the Uncertain Context of the Future of Work

Following the 2008 financial crisis, disillusionment with the establishment has grown. Populist politics has increasingly permeated and polarized political discourse, weakening citizenship and reducing the accountability of those in charge. Against this backdrop, the future of work has become increasingly uncertain with the increasing disruption caused by automation, artificial intelligence, and the ‘gig economy’. The paper argues the right to development offers a solution to guide policy and lawmaking if we see these challenges as problems of development – as they are. Its language is premised on the balancing of collective and individual rights. A proposed solution is the articulation of the common good at the national level while preserving the use of the rights language in democratic discourse and minimizing their use for identitarian populist ends. A holistic approach to articulating the Common Good as a human right is proposed as a less disruptive solution to the future of work.