The Alleged Backlash Against Human Rights: Evidence From Denmark and the UK

Forthcoming in Human Rights in Times of Transition: Liberal Democracies and Challenges of National Security (K McCall-Smith, A Birdsall & E Casanas Adam, eds) Edward Elgar Publishing

18 Pages Posted: 5 May 2020

See all articles by Jacques Hartmann

Jacques Hartmann

University of Dundee

Samuel White

University of the West of Scotland

Date Written: April 9, 2020

Abstract

Contemporary populism is at loggerheads with human rights. As a result, the challenges now facing the human rights movement are fundamentally different to those of the past. Yet, proposed remedies to this malaise often seem ill-conceived. Populists tend to claim that the institutions charged with the protection of fundamental rights not only limit the capacity of the people to exercise their sovereign power, but are also the source of a growing discontent with the human rights system itself. This narrative is often uncritically accepted and leads to suggestions that human rights must be fundamentally reformed. Although intuitively appealing, such suggestions often lack support from empirical evidence. Focusing on Denmark and the UK, the chapter suggests that existing assumptions may be questioned. It draws on new and existing surveys, including four country-wide surveys in Denmark conducted between 2016-2018.

Suggested Citation

Hartmann, Jacques and White, Samuel, The Alleged Backlash Against Human Rights: Evidence From Denmark and the UK (April 9, 2020). Forthcoming in Human Rights in Times of Transition: Liberal Democracies and Challenges of National Security (K McCall-Smith, A Birdsall & E Casanas Adam, eds) Edward Elgar Publishing, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3574569 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3574569

Jacques Hartmann (Contact Author)

University of Dundee ( email )

Nethergate
Dundee, Scotland DD1 4HN
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.dundee.ac.uk/law/staff/profile/jacques-hartmann.php

Samuel White

University of the West of Scotland ( email )

Paisley High Street
PA1 2BE
Paisley, Scotland PA1 2BE
United Kingdom

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