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Human Dignity and Property in Land—A Human Rights Approach

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Land Policies in India

Part of the book series: India Studies in Business and Economics ((ISBE))

Abstract

The chapter takes a two-pronged approach to discuss property in land as a human right. (1) An approach informed by legal positivism helps collect human rights clearly pertaining to property relations. In this sense, human rights are UN-sponsored human rights. The golden rule of property as a human right comprises several essential elements: the right not to be owned (abolition of slavery; prohibition of forced marriages), the right to own property, the right to work, and the right to an adequate standard of living. Property as a human right differs substantially from constitutional property clauses or from property in common or private law. The most important reason for this difference relates to the significance of human dignity in human rights law. (2) According to the prevalent self-descriptions, human rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person. An approach informed by political philosophy examines whether property as a human right specifically relates to or derives from human dignity. The examination demonstrates that the relationship between human dignity and private property is polyrational: Human dignity explains why property is essential for every person to attain security, freedom, and equality. Human dignity also explains that the human right to property comprises the right to an adequate standard of living. Finally, human dignity explains why property accumulation or monopolization (even if permissible under constitutional or common/private law) must not go too far.

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Abbreviations

1975 Helsinki Final Act:

Final act of the Conference of Security and Co-Operation in Europe

CEDAW:

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

CRC:

Convention on the Rights of the Child

CRPD:

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

ECHR:

(European) Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

ECHR_P1:

(First) Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

ICCPR:

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

ICERD:

International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

ICESCR:

International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

ICRAM:

International Convention in the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families

UDHR:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

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Acknowledgements

This chapter is benefitting from FLOOR, a research group on financial assistance, land policy, and global social rights (principal investigators: B. Davy, U. Davy, L. Leisering; 2007–2015, partly funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft—DFG). In particular, I thank DFG for funding my FLOOR sub-project on socio-ecological land policy (DA 849/2–1). I greatly profited from the 2014, 2015, and 2016 workshops preparing a research group on ‘Understanding Southern Welfare’ at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (Zentrum für interdisziplinäre Forschung – ZiF) at University of Bielefeld. The text draws from my earlier work (Davy 2009; 2012: 164–176; 2014; Davy and Pellissery 2013). I am very grateful to the participants of AESOP, ACSP, ALPS, and PLPR conferences, whose inspiring comments helped me to improve my thoughts. For their assistance, I also thank Valentin Frevel, Melanie Halfter, Daniela Knoop, Michael Kolocek, Astrid Maurer, and Nadine Preuß (TU Dortmund University). I completed work on this chapter while staying at Caspar Heinrich Klinik, Bad Driburg (North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), after suffering an acute myocardial infarction. I am most grateful to the Bielefeld emergency service as well as the doctors and staff of Gilead hospital (Bielefeld) and CHK for keeping my heart beating and my mind feisty.

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  1. TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

    Benjamin Davy

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  1. National Law School of India University , Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    Sony Pellissery

  2. TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany

    Benjamin Davy

  3. Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Harvey M. Jacobs

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Davy, B. (2017). Human Dignity and Property in Land—A Human Rights Approach. In: Pellissery, S., Davy, B., Jacobs, H. (eds) Land Policies in India. India Studies in Business and Economics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4208-9_1

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