What economics is silent about: why sustainable development is impossible without human rights

This text is an attempt to explain in simple language the main ideas of my scientific article “Market Dominant in Achieving Sustainability: Macroeconomic Channels for Ensuring the Right to Development in the Context of International Cooperation”. It was published in the professional journal “Economic Space”, No. 3 (195), 2025. Today, the world talks a lot about sustainable development, climate neutrality, and green transition. But one key thing is rarely mentioned: the economy should work not only for profit, but also for people. Otherwise, it loses its meaning.

Many countries still measure their success by GDP growth. But does this growth reflect the real well-being of people? In fact, it does not. Because the economy can grow on paper, but in reality, inequality is growing, access to basic services is deteriorating, and people are losing stability. We often forget: economic indicators are not about happiness and dignity.

Why is the right to development important? The right to development is not an abstraction. This is the right of every person to access knowledge, healthcare, decent work, a safe environment, a stable future. This is what determines the standard of living, not just wages or subsidies. And it is this right that is often violated when governments or international organizations make decisions based solely on economic expediency. For example, when, under the guise of investment, they allow mining that poisons water and soil. Or when they bail out the banking sector but do not invest in hospitals or education.

Crises as a test of humanity. Economic crises are like a litmus test. They show who the state really works for. If during a recession people lose their jobs, cannot pay for treatment, and the government bails out only large corporations, it is no longer about development, but about survival. In my research, I showed how different types of crises — currency, financial, trade — hit countries differently. And the most vulnerable are always those who have already been in difficult conditions. That is why economic decisions need to take into account the human factor: how it will affect families, communities, young people, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas.

The green transition is not always fair. We all want to live in a clean environment. But the transition to a low-carbon economy must also be fair. If green taxes increase costs for households, and profits remain in the hands of big business, we only deepen poverty and inequality. In this article, I analyze how to properly distribute revenues from green taxes. For example, direct part of these funds to support vulnerable families, and not only to subsidies to “green” corporations. This allows not only to reduce emissions, but also to strengthen social justice.

A people-centered economy is the key to sustainability. Sustainable development is not just a fashionable phrase. It is a systemic strategy that should be based on people. Access to water, education, healthcare, a fair labor market, and an environmentally safe space — all of this forms the so-called human capital. And it is this that is the foundation of an economy capable of withstanding the challenges of the 21st century.

What’s next? The world is not standing still – new forecasting tools are emerging. For example, the International Futures system, which allows you to analyze how various economic, environmental and demographic factors affect the life of society. This data helps to build policies that do not harm, but on the contrary – create a future in which you want to live. We must all unite around a common goal: to create a world where the economy works for people. Where the right to development is not a declaration, but a reality. And where sustainable development is not a balance of profit and costs, but harmony between people, nature and justice.

The full version of the article was published in the journal “Economic Space”, No. 3 (195), 2025.