The impact of development projects on the right to equality

Abstract

Citizenship refers to the legal and political status of a person as a member of a state. The purpose of this article is to analyze how statesponsored resettlement resulting from development projects undermines the rights and equality of citizens. A project is the simplest independent action unit in a development investment process. Promoting equality during resettlement can prevent many socio-political and economic problems. This article will question why the citizens, despite having equal rights, are subject to social exclusion during development projects. The Deduru Oya development project has affected 584 families and they have been resettled in 04 areas. This article is based on field research conducted in the resettled village of Polgammana. The article is significant because there are very few studies based on the social, economic, and political rights of resettles. The article compares both the pre-and post- stages of a development project highlighting the importance of promoting the right to equality for Sri Lankan citizens. The article uses HT Marshall's theory of social citizenship, John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern’s theory of games and economic behavior, and the theory of legal rights as its theoretical basis.