News
Presentation by Ruud Bronkhorst on 'The Economics of Human Rights, Using the Living Income / Fair price Approach to Combat Poverty' at a Fair Price/Living Income webinar (September 2021)
The webinar on 'Achieving Fair Prices and Living incomes in Global value Chains through Public Policies in Europe' was organised by the Fair Trade Advocacy Office in Brussels in cooperation with the Sustainable Food Lab, GIZ, and with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Ruud Bronkhorst started with the statement “No Fair Prices, no Living Wages”. Then he explained why fair prices are essential, by referring to a) the Universal of Human Rights and b) to the global problem of climate change. Within the first it was referred to Article 23 and 25 of the Declaration of Universal Human Rights, in particular.
Why the European Union should include Fair Prices in its policies (2021) by Ruud Bronkhorst
In order to make payment of Fair Prices and Wages to workers and producers worldwide compulsory, InfoBridge has published an article in ‘Hunger Explained?’ urging the European Commission to introduce legislation to enforce the payment of Fair Prices and Wages to producers and workers. This should make it impossible for companies to compete with one another on low wages.
http://hungerexplained.org/Hungerexplained/EU_Fair.html
Pourquoi l’Union européenne devrait-elle inclure le prix équitable dans ses politiques (2021) de Ruud Bronkhorst
Afin que le paiement des Prix et des Salaires Equitables soit introduit partout, InfoBridge a publié un article dans ‘La faim expliquée?’ conseillant vivement la Commission Européenne à introduire la législation nécessaire pour enforcer le paiement des Prix et des Salaires Equitables aux producteurs et travailleurs. De cette manière, il deviendra impossible pour les sociétés de se concurrencer sur les bas salaires.
http://lafaimexpliquee.org/La_faim_expliquee/UE_equitable.html
The Economics of Human Rights - Using the Living Income/Fair Price Approach to Combat Poverty (2020) by Ruud Bronkhorst
The book provides an introduction to the Living Income / Fair Price approach, a price theory based on ethics and Universal Human Rights. Many workers in industry, as well as smallholder farmers do not have enough income to feed themselves and their families. The book explains why there is a need for an alternative approach to producer prices. A paradigm change in our thinking about prices is required from the usual neo-classical approach with its emphasis on market and equilibrium prices to an approach based on Human Rights. Case studies show how to calculate such Fair Prices.
The book is available (in hardcover and as e-book) at the Palgrave Macmillan website.
Fair Producer Prices (2019)
Paper to the 93rd Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society (AES), University of Warwick, April 2019
In order to ensure that peasants as well receive just remuneration for their work as described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a paradigm change in thinking about producer prices is needed: from market prices to ‘fair’ prices.
Fair Prices to Achieve a Living Income for Small Farmers and Its Relation to Local Food Purchase Programs (2018)
Based on the Living Income concept, a methodology has been developed to calculate ‘fair’ prices for peasants for different crops. Application of this method can guide both policy makers and companies in their development of ‘ethical’ policies, based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
