Global Justice Research Articles

Navigating the complexities of resistance in critical human rights education to promote democracy

ABSTRACT This article constitutes a review of the concept of resistance in critical human rights education (CHRE) and its relevance for democratic education (DE). Our conceptual analysis draws on resistance studies, the emerging study of CHRE, and its implications for DE, which we suggest are interconnected. Although resistance is tied to the history of human rights, there is a lack of conceptual analysis, which we aim to remedy in this article. We argue that resistance is a core element of CHRE for promoting democracy and teaching ethically complex topics on injustices. Our approach transcends the problematic forms of HRE which can limit the discourse, produce blind spots, and empty the critical and ethical content of education. We illustrate some of the complexities of resistance through failures to resist human rights violations in democracies, but also the potential of resistance in CHRE to challenge global injustices and promote democracy.

Pathways to Action: Theory of Planned Behavior Mediation of Global Citizenship and Social Justice Intentions

Pathways to Action: Theory of Planned Behavior Mediation of Global Citizenship and Social Justice Intentions

Internalist and Integrationist Theories of (Global) Justice

The global justice debate has increasingly moved toward the analysis of concrete issues in global politics, such as trade, migration, or climate change. This raises a methodological question: should the demands of justice in these domains be theorized independently or in conjunction with one another? Integrationists have championed the latter approach, arguing that it is better suited to guide our practical judgments. In contrast, internalists maintain that each domain is governed by its own set of principles. This paper defends the plausibility of the internalist approach against integrationist challenges. By examining different interpretations of internalism, it first seeks to provide a clearer overview of the methodological dispute. It then analyzes various arguments for integrationism, showing that their implications are more limited than their proponents believe. Finally, it focuses on the question of practical guidance, highlighting the value of idealized domain-specific theorizing in guiding transitions toward just arrangements.

Amended WHO International Health Regulations for better global pandemic governance?

Recent amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), adopted at the 77th World Health Assembly in May 2024, represent an important conceptual development in the field of global pandemic governance. The regulations now include the notion of a pandemic emergency, a heightened subcategory of the public health emergency of international concern, which necessitates rapid, equitable, and enhanced coordinated international action to counteract global pandemics. In addition, changes to the guiding principles expressly require that the implementation process ‘shall promote equity and solidarity’. This is further crystallised in concrete commitments to enable equitable access to health products and provide for the mobilisation of financial resources for developing countries. Taking lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, these changes make the IHR a more effective tool against global pandemics and represent significant steps towards achieving global health justice.

‘It's good what we're doing and it's scary what we're facing’: young people’s care-ful environmental action in the UK

ABSTRACT In this paper, we argue for greater recognition of young people’s contributions to environmental action through social and environmental justice. It draws on findings from research based on eleven organisations in the UK exploring young people’s connection with environment-related collective action and activism in the UK landscape. Building on theoretical arguments of ethics of care and implicit activism and capturing a range of practices of young people, the paper explores young people’s multiple framing(s) of activisms – towards the environment and each other. Drawing on the experiences of young people and facilitators within these organisations, we unpack the experiences and representation of minoritised groups in the climate movement and other forms of environmental engagement. The findings demonstrate thoughtful and effective approaches towards inclusion within the UK context and in terms of global climate justice but also highlight a need for more intersectional approaches and awareness of enduring barriers often relating to racialised identities.

Vaccine equity implementation: exploring factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Philippines from an equity lens

BackgroundDuring the early phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, low and middle-income countries (LMICs) were facing challenges in achieving equitable vaccine delivery. Few studies have contextualized global vaccine distributive injustice into national-specific contexts to understand its impact on vaccine delivery from an equity perspective. We aimed to investigate factors influencing equitable COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Philippines and to provide recommendations to enhance equitable vaccine delivery in LMICs to prepare for future health emergencies.MethodsThe Health Equity Implementation Framework was employed to guide this qualitative study. We recruited participants using purposeful and snowballing sampling strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants in person, online, or over the phone. A reflective thematic analysis approach was employed to analyze data.ResultsWe recruited 38 participants including seven high-level stakeholders from the public and private sectors, 14 health workers, and 17 community members in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. Equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines was influenced by an interplay of multiple factors operating in different domains. Contextually, the rapidly evolving nature of the COVID-19 virus, ongoing scientific advancements, and international negotiations directed national-level vaccine policies. Political commitment and support were recognized as crucial drivers for successful vaccine delivery, with a strong emphasis on health information framing and communication and adherence to human rights principles. The vulnerability of the health system significantly impacted the timely and effective distribution of vaccines. Furthermore, the geographical characteristics of the Philippines presented unique logistical challenges to vaccine delivery. At the recipient domain, individual perceptions of vaccines, shaped by their socioeconomic status, exposure to (mis)information, social influence, and entrenched religious beliefs, played a major role in their vaccine decisions and thus vaccine coverage regionally. Additionally, vaccine characteristics and operational challenges related to its distribution also impacted fair allocation.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the urgent need for LMICs to strengthen their health system resilience and sustainability and use multilevel strategies to build public trust to improve vaccine uptake and coverage. Moreover, each LMIC must be attentive to its unique contextual factors to develop tailored implementation strategies to promote equitable vaccine distribution.

Global justice research: some priorities

Global justice research: some priorities

Scarcity of resources and distributive justice

This article contributes to the discourse on global justice as it pertains to resources and the just distribution of resources. The focus is on the concept of scarcity. In examining different understandings of scarcity through the use of analogies and examples, a distinction is made between absolute scarcity and relative scarcity. I examine the conceptual understanding of scarcity of resources in the context of distributive justice. Conceptual clarity is necessary to ensure that scarcity is properly referred to in the discourse so that scarcity is not erroneously used when justifications are sought for material deprivation and consequent human suffering. The field of distributive justice arguably requires a full comprehension of scarcity of resources, and this can only be achieved by properly examining the concept of scarcity.

Rethinking the EU’s Deforestation Regulation: A Fairer Approach to Palm Oil in the Global South

This paper explores the debate on the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation on the Palm Oil Industry. While most of the existing literature focuses on the implications of the regulation on the Global South, I explore whether the EU is obligated to revise the regulation on moral terms. In addressing this question, I argue that the European Union has a moral obligation to revise the deforestation regulation or find an alternative way of promoting sustainable agri-food production. The justification is in line with the theory of ‘global distributive justice’, where the benefits and burdens of the policy should be fairly distributed, taking into account the nation’s capabilities and historical contributions to the problem.

Religion in Right-Wing Ecological Discourse. A Critical Content Analysis of a Far Right Periodical

Abstract While the climate crisis was denied for many years in right-wing movements, shifts in discourse have become apparent recently. Right-wing populists and extremists are developing their own narratives, such as population growth in the Global South. Religious references also become relevant in these right-wing narratives but empirical studies on religion in right-wing environmental discourse have been rare for the German-speaking region so far. The paper examines religious motifs and arguments in the new-right periodical Die Kehre representing the line of thought of the new-right discourse on ecology. 15 issues of the journal are analysed with the help of the structuring qualitative content analysis. The analysis aims to develop a first descriptive assessment of the significance of religion in the right-wing ecological discourse. Therefore, this paper is also critical to the thesis that religion contributes substantially to global climate justice.

The Ubuntu Way: Ensuring Ethical AI Integration in Health Research

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in health research has grown rapidly, particularly in African nations, which have also been developing data protection laws and AI strategies. However, the ethical frameworks governing AI use in health research are often based on Western philosophies, focusing on individualism, and may not fully address the unique challenges and cultural contexts of African communities. This paper advocates for the incorporation of African philosophies, specifically Ubuntu, into AI health research ethics frameworks to better align with African values and contexts. This study explores the concept of Ubuntu, a philosophy that emphasises communalism, interconnectedness, and collective well-being, and its application to AI health research ethics. By analysing existing global AI ethics frameworks and contrasting them with the Ubuntu philosophy, a new ethics framework is proposed that integrates these perspectives. The framework is designed to address ethical challenges at individual, community, national, and environmental levels, with a particular focus on the African context. The proposed framework highlights four key principles derived from Ubuntu: communalism and openness, harmony and support, research prioritisation and community empowerment, and community-oriented decision-making. These principles are aligned with global ethical standards such as justice, beneficence, transparency, and accountability but are adapted to reflect the communal and relational values inherent in Ubuntu. The framework aims to ensure that AI-driven health research benefits communities equitably, respects local contexts and promotes long-term sustainability. Integrating Ubuntu into AI health research ethics can address the limitations of current frameworks that emphasise individualism. This approach not only aligns with African values but also offers a model that could be applied more broadly to enhance the ethical governance of AI in health research worldwide. By prioritising communal well-being, inclusivity, and environmental stewardship, the proposed framework has the potential to foster more responsible and contextually relevant AI health research practices in Africa.

Profit shifting and tax competition policy: a global justice perspective

Purpose This paper aims to argue that the endogenous processes of profit shifting by MNEs and tax competition lead not just to inequality but constitute a case of global injustice. The provisions of the planned “two-pillar” reforms to global corporate taxation are then considered relative to the minimum conditions for background justice in taxation. Design/methodology/approach This paper is partly conceptual, based on relevant theoretical work in philosophy, and partly policy-focussed, based on an assessment of the OECD/G20 “two-pillar solution”. Findings The normative case for considering international tax competition as a global justice issue is developed, contrasting the cosmopolitan and non-cosmopolitan (“internationalist”) approaches. Three key minimum conditions for background justice in term of international taxation are established. This paper concludes that the two-pillar solution is likely to fail in global justice terms not because of its principles, which are sound, but because its redistributive scope is insufficiently great to have a major effect in correcting the inequality arising from tax competition. Originality/value This paper applies the philosophical concept of global justice to a specific issue in international business: MNE profit shifting and tax competition policy.

Professional codes of morality and the professional codes of conduct of military personnel in different countries

This article presents a study on moral codes and professional codes of conduct. Various professional codes of conduct were considered, including the Samurai Code of Conduct, Code of Chivalry, Pirate Code, Hippocratic Oath and Medical Oath, Red Cross Code of Conduct, Galilean Oath, Code of Apparel Industry Partnership, Ethics in Computer Programming and Software Development, Moral hacking. Special emphasis is placed on Military Ethics and the morale of the serviceman. The article recognizes the golden rule of global ethics as the most important and simple truth for distinguishing right from wrong in human behavior.

On the limits of economic activity: bridging degrowth and modern monetary theory for socio-ecological sustainability and justice

This paper advances recent work exploring synergies and tensions between two schools of political-economic thought—degrowth and modern monetary theory (MMT)—and posits that this synergy warrants closer attention from International Political Economy and Environment (IPEE) scholars. Thus far, degrowth policies have largely been proposed upon the assumption that governments are limited in budgetary terms. MMT theorists have offered an alternative perspective on fiscal policy space but generally provide insufficient ecological considerations. This paper asks how each school’s underlying assumptions about the limits of economic activity might inform the other’s framework of action. We find that while there are tensions between the two schools’ economic philosophies, there are possibilities for cross-fertilization, which ought to interest IPEE scholars. MMT could engage degrowth’s perspective of ecological limits and global socio-ecological justice in its discussions about what economies can ‘afford’, whereas degrowth could use MMT insights to shift from a ‘pay for’ to a ‘resource’ frame, while centering abundance before limits. Meanwhile, IPEE can provide insights to an MMT-informed degrowth transition by grounding this debate in material analyses of class and power. Our findings suggest that degrowth and MMT could provide a normative direction for IPEE research centered around meeting material needs within planetary boundaries.

Pre-service teachers’ world history discussions: Distancing global citizenship, justice, and identity

In this qualitative multi-case study, we illustrate how three pre-service teachers from varying programs and social positions framed discussions in world history classrooms, and we discuss the broader narratives about the world their discussions communicated. Using critical theories of global citizenship education (GCE) and the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity (DSMRI), three primary data sources inform our analysis: observations of participants’ discussions, decision memos written while reflecting on their discussion facilitation, and semi-structured interviews. The three participants prioritized making discussion content relevant to their students. However, their facilitation practice ultimately contradicted such aims by favoring dominant and distancing global narratives, though this tendency went unacknowledged in interviews and while writing reflective memos. Our DSMRI cross-case analysis reveals how candidates’ role identities manifested in classroom discourse, with ontological and epistemological beliefs reliant on dominant global narratives. Despite varied personal experiences offering potential strengths for critical GCE teaching, participants’ self-perceived limited world history content knowledge appeared to condition their distanced and power-neutral facilitation approaches. By unconsciously relying on dominant narratives, teachers’ discussion facilitation positioned global issues firmly in the past and distant from students’ lived experiences and agency.

Artificial Intelligence for Social Innovation: Beyond the Noise of Algorithms and Datafication

In an era of rapid technological advancement, decisions about the ownership and governance of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence will shape the future of both urban and rural environments in the Global North and South. This article explores how AI can move beyond the noise of algorithms by adopting a technological humanistic approach to enable Social Innovation, focusing on global inequalities and digital justice. Using a fieldwork Action Research methodology, based on the Smart Rural Communities project in Colombia and Mozambique, the study develops a framework for integrating AI with SI. Drawing on insights from the AI4SI International Summer School held in Donostia-San Sebastián in 2024, the article examines the role of decentralized Web3 technologies—such as Blockchain, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, and Data Cooperatives—in enhancing data sovereignty and fostering inclusive and participatory governance. The results demonstrate how decentralization can empower marginalized communities in the Global South by promoting digital justice and addressing the imbalance of power in digital ecosystems. The conclusion emphasizes the potential for AI and decentralized technologies to bridge the digital divide, offering practical recommendations for scaling these innovations to support equitable, community-driven governance and address systemic inequalities across the Global North and South.

The Responsibility for Peace (R4P): Understanding the study of peace from a global justice and development perspective.

This article introduces a new conceptualisation of the relationship between global distributive justice, development, and the study of peace, which we label the Responsibility for Peace (R4P). In doing so, the article examines the notion of positive peace within peace studies, its relation to arguments within global distributive justice, and to what degree this important relationship is recognised in the primary international framework to prevent and protect populations from mass atrocity crimes, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). The article argues that despite growing recognition about the links between peace and development within both R2P and global justice discussions, it remains insufficient in terms of positive peace, thus requiring a new heuristic. In response, we argue that global justice demands refocused moral commitments to jus ante bellum (establishing global justice before war) and that this necessitates greater focus on the study of positive peace mechanisms, the identification and reform of structural injustices (against structural violence), and a retooled emphasis on human-centred development that can transcend existing legacies. In other words, we need to better focus on causes and not symptoms. It is this triangulation that we label the Responsibility for Peace (R4P), which should operate both prior to, and independently of, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).

Untangling ideologies in lifelong learning discourse

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to research on lifelong learning (LL) by examining discourses of multilateral organisations through the lens of ‘progressive neoliberalism’, in which contradictory ideologies of social justice movements and capitalism are hybridised (Fraser 2017). LL has been interpreted as a means of upskilling to remain competitive in the global economy or as a device for promoting social cohesion, equality and personal fulfilment. This study locates LL within the context of educating global citizens of all ages to address world crises and aims to understand underlying ideological assumptions in OECD, UNESCO, WB, EU and IB policy texts. A critical discourse analysis reveals the entanglement of largely symbolic progressive language within the confines of neoliberal capitalism. This ambiguous conceptualisation offers an incoherent framework for LL and perpetuates what Gramsci (1971) describes as a hegemonic bloc. Findings suggest that LL discourses mediate contradictions between two diverging ideological orientations, legitimise social hierarchies and power relations, and provide a superficial approach to global injustices and environmental emergencies.

When the public does not trust science: What can journalists do about it?

While overall levels of trust and interest in science are high, a significant proportion of audiences are distrustful of or disinterested in science. This is not an esoteric concern. Science literacy is important for the meaningful participation of the public in discussions about the impact of science on society at a time when many key global problems have some basis in science. There are also private benefits for individuals, like preventing them from being misled by misinformation and disinformation. What can science journalists do to address these issues? Using a global media ethics lens, this study deployed a mixed methods approach including surveys and semi-structured interviews, to evaluate how science journalists can produce stories that better engage audiences with science, thereby potentially increasing science literacy. By revealing the cultural barriers holding science back, inherent tensions between journalistic working practices and conveying the true nature of science but also how these might be overcome, the project outlined what strong science journalism could look like in Australia in 2024.

Implementation of Respect for Autonomy in Hospital Services Within the Indonesia National Health Insurance System

The principle of patient autonomy forms the foundation of medical ethics. However, its exploration within the context of national health insurance systems in developing countries remains under-researched. This study aimed to evaluate respect for patient autonomy within Indonesia's National Health Insurance (NHI/JKN) system. The study using a qualitative research interview analyzed thematically. Conducted in Depok, West Java, the study involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 participants, encompassing patients from first-level health facilities (FLHF), general practitioners at FLHF, specialist doctors, and management of referral hospital (RH) officers, and staff members of the JKN. The data were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic approach. The study revealed substantial underutilization of respecting patient autonomy within medical contexts under the JKN. Five themes emerged: challenges in the referral system, knowledge and information dissemination, decision-making and autonomy, quality of healthcare services, and systemic constraints and impact. These themes highlight the lack of patient awareness, restricted medical choices, the dominant role of paternalism (a system in which the government or a person in a position of authority makes decisions for other people) in healthcare decisions, and improper informed consent process. The findings suggest that the principles of beneficence and paternalism often overshadow respect for patient autonomy in the JKN system. This raises concerns about the ethical aspect of patient treatment, particularly the need for greater focus on patient autonomy and shared decision-making to align more closely with global medical ethics practices. This study contributes to understanding autonomy in national health insurance systems in developing countries. It highlights the need for systemic reforms to enhance healthcare efficiency and effectiveness while respecting patient autonomy.