Buying Justice:
Exploring Fair Trade and the Meaning Behind the Mark
As one brand or another, we have all seen Fair Trade at some point in our lives. Whether it marks our favourite coffee, artisanal handicrafts at retail outlets, or fresh produce at our super markets, Fair Trade is readily available for our purchase. However, the actual meaning of the Fair Trade logo may be as diverse as the products it labels....
Legalizing Sustainable Business:
Trade and the Environment
The international movement of goods and commercial activity is governed by a rich body of private and public international law. With a focus on reducing barriers to commerce, this body of laws has largely overlooked the effects of increasing international commerce on the environment. Increasingly, international development treaties have been centered around the principle of sustainability....
Crowding In:
Responding to Poverty in Urban Slums Around the World
The unprecedented rise of global urban poverty is a pressing issue facing development scholars and practitioners alike. The deplorable conditions in crowded slums are a unique context for development practitioners, policy makers, and urban planners, with new and particular challenges to overcome...
All That Glitters:
Gold Mining, Mercury Pollution, and ASGM Communities
No other metal that has captured the attention of man more than gold. Throughout history gold has served as currency benchmarks, circuits in modern electronics, and symbols of enduring love. However, artisanal gold mining (AGM) represents a stark and present reminder of the cost for this precious metal. AGM actives heavily rely on the use of mercury, a potent neurotoxin, for gold extraction....
Saviour Complex:
Navigating Religion’s Messy History and Current Role in Development
Religious institutions have a messy and complicated history in development. Today, many development practitioners and institutions continue to be based in religion - but not without tension. Churches, mosques and other religious institutions are often the best positioned to know a community’s needs and respond accordingly....
The Fist and the GAVEL:
Legal and Political Routes for the Advancement of Human Rights
Since the Second World War, international human rights have been codified into treaties that are nearly universally ratified. Regional courts and other international institutions have emerged to interpret and attempt to enforce these treaties. Despite these structures and laws, widely recognized civil and political human rights continue to be violated throughout the world, and social, cultural and economic rights remain unenforced....