April 22, 2009 12:28PM 

# The Compatibility of Growth and Human Rights 

By [Ian Vásquez](https://www.cato.org/people/ian-vasquez) 

---

<a class="js-popover-trigger cursor-pointer popover-trigger" data-bs-placement="bottom" data-bs-trigger="click" id="popover-trigger"> 

SHARE 

</a> 

![Media Name: poweroffreedom_130.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/www.catostore.org/96639030834/downsizing_130.jpg?itok=KSYsSm9c) 

Do trade and economic growth conflict with human rights?

Too often, human rights advocates present development as incompatible with rights. So-called development agencies like the World Bank often ignore rights, including personal choice, when they push for top-down growth strategies around the world. Jean-Pierre Chauffour will speak at the Cato Institute tomorrow on his new Cato book, [*The Power of Freedom: Uniting Human Rights and Development*,](http://www.catostore.org/index.asp?fa=ProductDetails&method=&pid=1441423) where he takes the human rights and development “communities” to task for working at cross purposes and muddled thinking.

Sign up [here](https://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=6082) or watch online to hear him present a development agenda that respects the full range of human rights. Susan Aaronson of George Washington University will comment.

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).