On the Indivisibility and Interdependence of Basic Rights in Developing Countries

The concept of the indivisibility and interdependence of all human rights has gained widespread acceptance among advocates and scholars alike. First, this article empirically looks at the degree to which two fundamental basic rights, subsistence and security, are simultaneously respected in developing countries. A modest but significant correlation coefficient of .15 was found. The authors then construct a new composite Basic Rights index to find the determinants behind simultaneous fulfillment of basic rights. The country rankings reveal a high correlation over a five year period, though some ascend significantly (e.g., Chile, Guatemala, Brazil), while others fall (e.g., Botswana, Thailand, China). Regression analysis suggests that a country's income, degree of trade openness, democratic political institutions, population size, and degree of internal conflict are all important factors in Basic Rights attainment. In contrast, a country's legal origins and whether it has endorsed international covenants are modest factors, while the degree of foreign direct investment and whether it is involved in an international conflict do not seem to matter much.