C. Common Themes and Convergence
The subject of development theory is not merely a discussion about goals
(which processes of change are desirable), allocation of resources (which
means are most effective) and control of resources (who directs and exploits
the stream of resources). It is also a contemporary interpretation of complex
global and local changes (how we interpret and measure processes of
change). Development theory’s basic themes are economic growth and
efficiency, social and cultural conflict, local and global change, and the
influence of politics and governance on the processes of change. It is limited
geographically such that it primarily concerns developing countries.31
Human rights are both a product of and an answer to the modern
national state.32 The subject area of human rights is not just the protection of
individuals and groups against those in power, but also the duties the state
(or international or other actors) has in relation to individuals and groups,
including the duty to create decent living standards for citizens.
Human rights thought is therefore about both norms and rules concerning
this relation. This subject area is in principle universal, but in reality,
states in the East, West, North and South have different relationships to the
different types of rights. Nevertheless, human rights in the 1990s, to a
greater extent than ever before, set a norm that regulates the relationship
between state and society. They have become part of the global order in
which common norms and goals are constantly debated.
Differences thus exist between the two traditions. Human rights has as its subject norms, rules, and duties together with their institutional foundations,
whereas development theory has general processes of change,
resource control/conflict, and resource allocation at its core. Convergence
of the two does exist, however, in the common discussion about the goals
and values that should globally regulate relations between the Third World
and the West and in the significance of governance in processes of change
that emphasize socio-economic standards as part of the rights complex.