Advancing Equality: How Constitutional Rights Can Make a Difference Worldwide

The WORLD Policy Analysis Center and University of California Press are thrilled to announce a new, freely downloadable book, Advancing Equality: How Constitutional Rights Can Make a Difference Worldwide. This resource pairs a quantitative analysis of the constitutions of all 193 U.N. member states with case law from more than forty countries. By systematically examining protections against discrimination on the basis of sex/gender, race/ethnicity, religion, migration status, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity, alongside guarantees of the rights to health and education, Advancing Equality offers insights into the range and implications of different constitutional and judicial approaches to ensuring equal opportunities.

This new data for 193 constitutions shows that constitutional social, economic, and equal rights have unmistakably expanded globally since 1948, but the new decade begins with clear constitutional gaps that leave millions worldwide vulnerable and without core human rights.

Please contact Nick Perry (nperry@ph.ucla.edu), who leads the outreach and collaboration work, for comments and suggestions.