This project set out to develop a tool with which to monitor and evaluate the (progressive) realisation of socio-economic rights in South Africa. The aim was twofold: firstly, to move towards an agreement on what progressive realisation of socio-economic rights means in South Africa – to what end and over what time span – and secondly, to compare achievements with the realisation of socio-economic rights to outcomes in other countries that have similar resources at their disposition. The former is important in order to ensure that when talking about progress on socio-economic rights a consensus might emerge around what it means to make progress in South Africa – a country that continues to struggle with huge spatial and income inequalities due to its apartheid past. The latter is important in order to ensure that the caveat that the government must only realise these rights with the available resources does not allow for an opt-out of making the biggest effort possible to improve access to these rights. The latter objective also seeks to tie resources spent to outcomes on the right in order to assess whether increased spending also leads to improved outcomes.
Full document: A Monitoring Tool for Socio-Economic Rights in South Africa.
